


Metamorphosis Alpha

by GokuGirl



Series: Metamorphosis [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Homophobia, Humor, Lemon, M/M, Out of Character, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-10-08
Updated: 2005-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-11 03:14:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4418993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GokuGirl/pseuds/GokuGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Second Change is the last-ditch effort of nature to force Saiya-jin to have children. During this time, male and female Saiya-jin in their prime from fifty years of age to fifty-five go into heat, something that also happens during the First Change (also known as puberty). This time, however, the hunger is not so easily satisfied...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Heat-Induced Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> **Ages:** A few of the age gaps have been narrowed for the plot's sake. Gohan = 31, Trunks = 26, Goten = 25, Bura = 14, Pan = 13.  
>  **Warnings:** Considering the fact that I've never written a true lemon before this story, all sex scenes will, most likely, suck (and not in a good way). There's a mention of non-con as well as a little violence and profanity. Possibly OOC Vegeta and Goku. Oh, there's also the introduction of an OC.  
>  **Notes:** I hope that this isn't cliché. There are more than enough DB/Z fics that copycat each other floating around out there. To suit my needs, I altered Goku's Instantaneous Movement technique. Now he doesn't need to locate a specific ki to teleport.

_"With enough lube and physical effort, anything is possible." - Vegeta_  
  
  
Vegeta awoke one morning with a burning in his body that seemed likely to drive him insane. Curling into a tiny ball of misery in the center of his bed, he waited for the blindingly exquisite pain to cease.  
  
On that day, he was approximately fifty Saiya-jin[1] years, give or take a few days. The years of Vegeta-sei[2] had been several days longer than the years of Chikyuu-sei and a few months after he'd been taken away from his home as a child, he'd lost count. It didn't matter how old he was exactly; he knew the age range of the Second Change.  
  
The First took place when a Saiya-jin male or female was in the age range of fifteen to twenty-four. It was the start of the Mating Cycle, a primal urge that overtook them about once every three years. When it happened, the Saiya-jin whose scent caught their attention would be their prey for approximately twelve hours. All those not in season knew to stay well out of the way of those who were lest they found themselves bleeding to death on the ground. The Mating was usually consensual unless a suitable mate could not be found. The urge to mate with only those whose scent perfectly matched what they were subconsciously searching for completely overpowered all rational thought. Luckily, the attraction was usually mutual.  
  
This went on until either the male or female sufferer reached approximately twenty-five years of age or the female became pregnant, whichever came first. Then the hormones died down for a few decades until the Second Change took hold of them.  
  
In the most recent (and final) years of Saiya-jin history, it had become unusual to see a Saiya-jin over forty years of age. The alliance with Furiza had brought a change so severe that more Saiya-jin were dying off in battle than were being born back at home. This is what forced the king to finally realize that he had to break things off with the Changeling before the entire Saiya-jin race was completely wiped out.  
  
Of course, it had been an utter disaster.  
  
Vegeta no Ouji[3] was kidnapped to lure the king and his strongest elite warriors to Furiza's ship and it worked. All of them were killed which left the Changeling free to kill everyone else. Only seven Saiya-jin survived the destruction of their planet and all of them had been children at the time save one man. After Raditsu's death by the hands of a Namek-jin named Piccolo and Nappa's death by the hands of his own prince, Vegeta became the oldest of the Pure... and the first person to go through the Second Change since the time of his grandfather.  
  
He didn't know much about it, but what he  _did_  know scared the shit out of him. Vegeta had thought that he was free of the Change because his tail (a major source of power for the Saiya-jin) had gotten severed from his body when he was in his late twenties, never again to regrow since he was long past puberty. Apparently, he'd been horribly, horribly wrong.  
  
His body grew hotter and more sensitive until it felt as if the very blood in his veins was boiling and scalding him from the inside. Every heartbeat, every inhalation and exhalation of breath, would cause tremors to course through his body. In the early stages, it felt as if he'd had a slight cold, had Saiya-jin been able to contract ningen illnesses, that is. As the changes progressed, his body temperature rose and his body shook with pain and chills. Slowly, the intense heat would die down until only an intense need for sexual gratification would remain as if he was going through puberty all over again.  
  
Against his will, Vegeta whimpered and pressed himself into the bed. He remembered how desperate he'd been at seventeen with a lack of suitable partners around to help him satisfy the new, and terrifying, need growing within him. In the beginning, he'd tried pleasuring himself with his hand to the point that even looking at his boyhood made him wince. Though it  _had_  felt good (in the beginning, at least), it hadn't been enough.  
  
Adult Vegeta's hand grasped his erection firmly as his mind sank further into his memories.  
  
  
 _While neither of them were what anyone could call "handsome", Vegeta allowed both Raditsu and Nappa to fuck him. It had been an experience never repeated. His mind had been clouded in a haze of lust that transformed every touch, ever kiss, every movement inside his body into something profound. After doing both Raditsu and Nappa twice, he'd gone in search of more after each of his caretakers had fallen into a deep, sated sleep.  
  
In one of the many halls of Furiza's ship, Zaabon found him. If the flush on his face and the glazed look in his eyes hadn't told the lieutenant that something was wrong, the fact that Vegeta's hand was down his pants would have. He raised one green eyebrow at the teenager and drawled, "My, aren't we the randy one. Your first time?" He knew all about the changes Saiya-jin went through during the course of their lives and thought it fitting that such an uncivilized race would descend to the depths of animalism during these times.  
  
"Fuck," the boy ground out with effort, "off."  
  
"No, I think I'll just fuck you." He grabbed him around the waist and threw him over his shoulder, fully intending to take him back to his room for what remained of the night. Vegeta squirmed in his grasp in an attempt to free himself, but only succeeded in slowly masturbating himself against his shoulder. The aide laughed and grabbed hold of Vegeta's dangling tail. This caused the boy to immediately stiffen and let out a low moan.  
  
"That's right, those monkey tails of yours are awfully sensitive, aren't they? Especially during sex. We'll just have to see how sensitive..."  
  
"Zaabon!" The sharp command behind him made him halt instantly. "Why are you carrying the little monkey towards your quarters?"  
  
He turned around and fixed his Lord and Master with an even stare. The small Changeling was in his first form, barely five feet tall and covered in bubblegum pink skin with white armor-like plating. Sharp black horns crowned his head. "I was simply going to teach him a lesson, Lord Furiza."  
  
He nodded, fully intending to allow the lesson to take place, when he looked at Vegeta more closely. The boy appeared to be distinctly uncomfortable and unusually pink. Also, his hips seemed to be gyrating unconsciously against his aide's body. In the next instant, a delighted smile lit up his face. "Why, Little Monkey, I believe that you're in heat!"  
  
Sighing to himself, Zaabon knew that he would be ordered to turn over his prize to his lord. Furiza had the highest rank on the ship and had also had his eye on Vegeta for a very long time. Despite what others may have thought of him, Furiza would rather have an animated and passionate lover in his bed than a fearful and frozen one. He'd known that he only had to bide his time until Vegeta's first heat to take his pleasure from the young body.  
  
When Furiza took him from Zaabon, he'd whimpered but it hadn't been from lust. With the blue-skinned man, he could have expected at least a moderate amount of care and preparation. With Furiza, he knew that chances he would go easy on him were slim to none._  
  
  
In the present, Vegeta's hands clenched in rage at his helplessness, then at his shame. He could clearly remember the sensations his body had experienced as if it had only happened yesterday, but could also remember the guilt and feelings of worthlessness and uncleanliness that he'd felt the following day. In his current state, he was helpless to stop himself from getting off on it even as his mind rebelled violently.  
  
Then the desire ebbed away and he could finally think clearly again.  
  
Immediately, he was awash in feelings of embarrassment and guilt. He was too damn old to lose control like that. What if one of his children had found him pulling frantically at himself on the bed? It was very early in the morning but, still, the possibility was there. Disgustedly, Vegeta rose and yanked the now-soiled sheets from his bed along with the cotton pajama pants that covered the lower half of his body. Naked, he went to start the shower and lose himself under the pounding spray.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Vegeta emerged clean and reasonably calm. He was now able to look at what had happened to him somewhat objectively and had enough sense to know that it wasn't over. Not by a longshot. When he'd been a small child, his father had told him about the First and Second Change and what he should expect each time, but he couldn't remember all of the information. He just couldn't remember. He could only go on his own experiences during the First Change (whose total completion had taken ten years), remembering that only having an orgasm triggered by the sensation of having something (as in a penis) inserted inside of him had seemed to calm his body. Redness spread across his face as he thought about this. Since the last time Furiza had taken advantage of him, he hadn't had sex with another male. Twenty-eight long years... He couldn't quite admit to himself that he missed it.  
  
He pulled on a pair of loose black pants over his nakedness. After running a careless hand through hair that had never allowed itself to be tamed, he left his room and wandered downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast. He was ravenous, probably a by-product of sexual exertion. Forcing his mind away from this subject, he began to make enough tamagoyaki[6] for he and Bura (who was the only other member of the household that would eat his cooking despite there being nothing wrong with it). He put her share into the oven, leaving a note on the kitchen table for her, and took his meal back to his room.  
  
His day was shot to Hell, he already knew. With the sexual urges being as unpredictable as they were, it would be unwise of him to venture outside of his bedroom. He had a television in there, an adjacent bathroom, and could sneak out for food, so things should be fine until his body stopped betraying him.  
  
But who knew when that would be?  
  
"Fuck, fuck,  _FUCK_ ," he cursed after his meal was finished and he no longer had anything to focus on. The urges  _wouldn't_  stop unless he allowed a guy to fuck him, he knew. Somehow, the Second Change was more sneaky than the first. It had subsided for a short while, but already he could feel the beginnings of it rising again. Vegeta tensed up, fisting his hands in the fresh sheets, wishing that he'd stayed dead after dying in the kamikaze attack against Buu. That way, he would have never had to go through this torture.  
  
He also would have never helped to create Bura. And, of course, Furiza would have been free to torment him in Hell.  
  
 _FUCK_.  
  
Sweat broke out along his face as he tried desperately to resist the temptation to hump himself against the bed, his hand, anything firm enough to provide enough stimulation to bring him off. He lasted an entire five minutes this way before his hand wrapped, once more, around his straining erection with enough force to make him wince.  
  
Amazingly, the pain helped to clear his head, if only a little.  
  
He had to have someone fuck him, there was no other choice. Faintly, he remembered his father saying that the horniness caused by the Second Change wouldn't stop unless he was able to sate its selective and exhaustive hunger for sex, faster if he could find the one whose scent perfectly complemented his own.  
  
Like  _that_  had a chance of happening. There was only one other pure-blooded Saiya-jin left alive in the universe, a man who was so unlike himself that he found the differences infuriating. Kakarotto, otherwise known as Son Goku, had probably never had a primal urge in his life despite the fact that the First Change should have happened to him long ago. He was so un-Saiya-jin that it embarrassed Vegeta frequently.  
  
Incomprehensibly, he found his thoughts focusing on him. How he stood when they fought, how his face looked when he was happy, when he was hungry, when he was in the heat of battle. He had even seen a large amount of Kakarotto's uncovered skin due to the fact that his gi had a habit of being torn to shreds whenever he fought a particularly hard battle and knew for a fact that he had the sexiest upper body he'd ever seen on a man.  
  
Vegeta stopped his train of thought right there and wrenched his hand away from his manhood. There was no way in  _Hell_  he was going to masturbate to the image of Kakarotto, the Third-Class Baka[5]. No. Fucking. Way.  
  
A wave of desire so powerful it pretty much stole his breath away washed over him and his hand returned to its previous position. The other hand drifted down behind his jewels to tease the small opening found there. Nothing had been anywhere near that area in so long besides a washcloth that the sensation immediately sent him over the edge.  
  
He moaned Kakarotto's name when he came.  
  


***

  
By nightfall, his situation was no better. Kakarotto himself had called his private phone line several times in search of him according to the caller ID, probably wondering why he hadn't made it to East District for their usual sparring date. It was Friday, after all. Finally, after the ninth call, he answered the phone.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Vegeta! Thank Kami[6]," he sighed. "Are you alright?"  
  
How could he answer this, really, when his dick hurt from constant manipulation and he was starting to yearn for his battle partner to shove his own dick up his ass? "I'm peachy, Kakarotto, how about yourself?"  
  
There was a moment of stunned silence. "You're dying, aren't you," Kakarotto said finally. "That's it; I'm coming over there right now!"  
  
"MATTE YO[7], BAKA!" he shouted. If Kakarotto came over right now via Shunkanido[8] he was going to find a naked and very embarrassed Saiya-jin with a hard-on that just wouldn't quit. "I'm fine," he said in a more quiet tone. "We can spar tomorrow."  
  
"If you're sure..."  
  
"Hai[9], I'm sure."  
  
"Okay, then, I'll see you tomorrow, Vegeta!" Kakarotto chirped before hanging up the phone without saying goodbye. Vegeta smirked fondly, then cursed violently when he realized what he was doing.  
  
He could only go to sleep after a long session of meditation and a cold shower to force the horniness to subside. At the rate he was going, he would pull his dick right off before the following day was complete. As it were, his fingers slipped down to caress himself as he slipped away into slumber and that prompted him to have the most erotic dream he'd ever had to date. He and Kakarotto were fucking in every conceivable position, and even some he knew weren't physically possible. And he wasn't uke[10] all the time, either, but was seme[11] in at least half of the fantasies. Vegeta awoke to brilliant sunshine and a raging erection, one that felt a hell of a lot better to the touch than the day before. He was halfway to completion before he realized that he was not alone in his room.  
  
The hand on his manhood froze as did the hand that was sneaking down to play with his entrance. "What the fuck?" he whispered.  
  
There, in a chair that sat next to the door of the room, was Kakarotto. He had a slightly glazed look in his eyes that spoke volumes to Vegeta and a tent in his pants that made his eyes widen in disbelief. Delicately, Vegeta sniffed the air and smelled cinnamon and spice, which was  _definitely_  nice. "Ohayo[12], Vegeta," he said hoarsely.  
  
"Kakarotto, I'm almost afraid to know the answer to this question, but what are you doing here?" He sat up and crossed his legs in a failed attempt to hide his arousal from the younger man.  
  
"I woke up this morning and felt like I should come over," he explained. "So I did."  
  
How wonderfully Kakarotto. "Well, can you leave for a minute while I get up and take care of this?" He waved his hand in the general direction of his crotch. The other man stood but, instead of exiting, he made his way over to the bed. Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he watched Kakarotto's slow approach, noticing that his eyes were vacant and more than a little disturbing. Was he being possessed by something? "What are you doing, you baka?"  
  
He crawled on the bed and buried his nose into Vegeta's hair. "You smell so good," he murmured as he nuzzled him like a cat. Vegeta, who'd frozen the moment the large bulge in his pants had come into contact with his thigh, shuddered, but not in a bad way. He took a moment to think, "How ironic; Kakarotto and I are a perfect match" before sinking his fingers into Kakarotto's hair and yanking him downward into a bruising kiss. The burning fire rose within his body once more and caused him to thrust his hips upward. Considering the fact that Kakarotto was about a foot taller than he was, his crotch was about level with his stomach.  
  
They separated, both gasping for air. "Do you even know what's going on, Kakarotto?"  
  
"I only know that I want something I can't explain." He rubbed himself against Vegeta's body. "Never felt like this before except when I was a teenager, before ChiChi and I were married." He laughed shakily. "It was the reason I married her! Got her pregnant with Gohan."  
  
He was sympathetic. Knowing Kakarotto's honor, he married her because he felt that it would have been the right thing to do. "Gomen nasai,[13]" he said honestly. "I wasn't here. I didn't know." He writhed when he felt Kakarotto began to kiss and bite at his neck.  
  
"Didn't know what?" he murmured.  
  
"That you were my mate. That you would be the one to complete me."  
  
"How can I be your mate when you're a guy?"  
  
Vegeta snorted and ran his hands along Kakarotto's back. "If you are attracted to my scent, then you are not as heterosexual as you claim to be. Nor am I." He thrust upward again, impatient with such talk. "When will we finally get to the fucking?"  
  
Body shaking with laughter, Kakarotto said, "Impatient little man, aren't we?"  
  
"Little?! Just because everyone's not gargantuan like you are it doesn't make them 'little'." The though of taking something the size of what the bulge in his pants suggested made him wince just a little, but he wouldn't be Saiya-jin if he didn't like a little pain with his pleasure. He reached down with both his hands and tugged at the wide blue sash holding the orange gi pants against Kakarotto's waist. "Get naked. Now."  
  
"Yes, sir," he said against his neck in a teasing tone. In less than sixty seconds, the gi, the black shirt, the baby blue boxer shorts, the blue wristbands, and the heavy black boots when flying across the room. Vegeta's eyes were amazed to see the size of the erection sticking out at a forty-five degree angle from a thick forest of black pubic hair even though he knew it had to be big just by the size of the bulge he'd seen in his pants. "It's like you've got a fucking baseball bat between your legs."  
  
He blushed. "Uh, yeah. Yours isn't bad, either."  
  
The arousal that had somewhat subsided as they'd talked, suddenly came back with a vengeance. Vegeta gasped and his eyes flew open wide with the intensity of it. His manhood was now throbbing in time to his heartbeat. "We're going to have to skip the preliminaries and get on to the main event before I explode." Kakarotto stood there like a deer caught in headlights even though he felt a strong pull towards the panting Saiya-jin on the bed. "NOW, DAMN IT!"  
  
"I don't know what to do!" he wailed helplessly.  
  
"You stick it in and thrust repeatedly until you come, dumbass, how hard can that be?"  
  
"Stick it in where?"  
  
Vegeta stared at him and, for a moment, his arousal didn't matter. He just couldn't believe the sheer naïveté of the man standing before him. On second thought, yes, he could. "Only you could say something that stupid, Kakarotto."  
  
He put his hands on his hips and frowned down at him. "It's a valid question, considering the circumstances."  
  
Feeling that it was best to teach using a visual aid, Vegeta raised his hips and pointed to his small orifice. "You see this, Kakarotto?  _This_  is where that gigantic dick of yours is supposed to go."  
  
Kakarotto's eyes grew huge as he moved down for a closer look. "Is that even possible?"  
  
"With enough lube and physical effort, anything is possible. Get the bottle of lotion over there on the dresser." He did as told and awaited further instruction. "Put some on your fingers and stretch me so that you can fit in there."  
  
A look of complete comprehension dawned on Kakarotto's face. "Oh! I've got it!" Then he frowned. "You might not want to be on your back for this. You're only a little bit bigger than ChiChi is and she felt like she was being smothered if we did it like that."  
  
An image of him on hands-and-knees while Kakarotto pounded into him from behind made his hand trail down to his neglected erection. Kakarotto slapped it away with a grin. Pouting at him (and not believing that he was doing it), he turned over and pushed himself up to his knees. "Stop wasting time and get down to it already."  
  
He felt a cool finger probe at his entrance, making him shiver in anticipation. He could visualize very well how long Kakarotto's fingers were. In fact, it seemed like _everything_  on his body was large. He spread his legs wider and thrust his ass up to meet every gentle thrust. "This position makes things a lot easier," the younger Saiya-jin commented.  
  
"You're going to have to get up to three fingers in there easily before you will be able to get in there."  
  
"Okay. Vegeta, you feel so good," he said with wonder. "I never knew that two men could be joined like a man and a woman could."  
  
"I'm sure that there's a lot you don't know." The slap on his rump surprised him, but it also felt more than a little good as evidenced by the moan that escaped from deep within him. He heard low chuckling behind him and it was all the preparation he'd received before Kakarotto began raining open-handed slaps down upon both cheeks.  
  
"Kaka- Kaka- YOU BAKA!" he groaned. His arms trembled and threatened to dump him onto the bed. "You're just making it worse! What did I tell you not ten minutes ago about skipping the foreplay?"  
  
"I'm interested in knowing what other kinds of kinky things you're into." The light spanking ceased and his hand returned to stretching him, this time inserting two fingers into his rectum. Vegeta mumbled something in response. "What was that?"  
  
"I said that 'I don't know what else I'm into'. Honestly, I've never given it much thought. The onna[14] was merely way for me to try a new method of intercourse." He winced. Buruma was Kakarotto's friend. "Er, sorry."  
  
He began to move his fingers faster, the sensation causing Vegeta's eyes to involuntarily close. "If she was an experiment, then why did you two have Bura?"  
  
"She wanted a girl and I felt that I owed- HOLY SHIT!" Kakarotto jumped and immediately removed his fingers, babbling apologies as he did so. "No, no, put them back in! I don't know what the hell you hit in there, but I want you to hit it again. Repeatedly."  
  
And he did, much to Vegeta's delight. Finally, after twenty minutes of foreplay that Vegeta grew to greatly enjoy, Goku was finally ready for the final step. "Cover your dick in that lotion and push it in me."  
  
Resting at his entrance, Goku still had his doubts that he was going to fit inside of Vegeta. As much as he wanted to be, he also had no desire to hurt the man beneath him. He slowly pressed forward and watched, with growing awe, how the tight band of muscle that was Vegeta's sphincter expanded to allow the head of his penis to enter his rectum. Then, when it contracted, it felt as if it was going to cut off his circulation and forward movement became nearly impossible. But when his body was finally flush against Vegeta's upturned bottom, the sensation surrounding his manhood was so phenomenal he just had to revel in it for a little while.  
  
"You know, Kakarotto," Vegeta said conversationally, "movement is sort of a requirement for fucking."  
  
"Oh," he blushed, "right." He did a few experimental thrusts and felt Vegeta's anal sphincter finally loosen its death grip. Smirking to himself, he pulled out until only the head remained enclosed by the velvet heat, then slammed his hips back home in one swift movement that wrung a surprised, "Ah!" from the Saiya-jin under him.  
  
Soon, both Saiya-jin discovered that, with a slight adjustment, Goku could hit that special spot inside of Vegeta on every forward lunge. This caused the small Saiya-jin to see starbursts behind his eyelids and groan unintelligible nonsense that may or may not have been praises to a deity he wasn't sure he believed in. There were plenty of demands, as well, from the oft-chanted, "Fuck me harder!" to "Put your back into it, you baka!"  
  
His mind was so far gone into a pleasure-filled place he'd never visited before that nothing short of an explosion large enough to level all of Satan City could bring him back before he'd had his release. Behind him, Goku grunted on every forward thrust with the effort to get the maximum amount of a pleasure so strong that it closely bordered on pain. When he finally allowed himself to come, his hair flickered erratically from gold to black for a moment before finally choosing the gold and staying that way. In involuntary response, Vegeta's hair did the same.  
  
Vegeta felt as if his body would go up in flames. The itching burning feeling in his penis and rear magnified to the point that he started squirming to get both closer and away. Behind him, Goku groaned and collapsed on top of him, weakly kissing the damp skin of his face.  
  
"No more," the larger Saiya-jin panted. "At least, not right now."  
  
The sensation subsided as did the heat he'd felt for the entire day previous. All he could feel now was the warmth of the living Saiya-jin blanket draped across his back, the feel of a softening penis threatening to slip from his rectum, and the gentle pressure of Goku's hands caressing his sides. "That was probably the best fuck I've ever had in my entire life," Vegeta announced.  
  
"I wholeheartedly agree." With a weary grunt, he pushed himself off Vegeta and draped an arm across his waist. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me for lunch."  
  
"Kaka-" He broke off when a loud snore interrupted him. "-rotto." He turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder at the man whose mouth gaped open in slumber. His ki level dropped down from Super Saiya-jin and he transformed back to his usual self. "Baka," he said fondly, moving closer into his embrace. He felt profoundly empty, but was fairly sure that they could have another go after a nap and some food.  
  
On the bright side of things, at least he wasn't horny anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  This chapter probably has the most footnotes:  
>   
> [01] = the Japanese name for Vegeta and Goku's race of people which means "people of Saiya"  
> [02] = Planet Vegeta  
> [03] = Prince Vegeta  
> [04] = a Japanese-style breakfast egg roll/omelette  
> [05] = idiot  
> [06] = it means "God"  
> [07] = wait  
> [08] = the Japanese name for "Instant Transmission" that literally means "Instantaneous  
> Movement"  
> [09] = yes  
> [10] = bottom or "the one who receives"  
> [11] = top or "the one who gives"  
> [12] = good morning  
> [13] = I'm so sorry  
> [14] = woman


	2. A Heat-Induced Revelation

_"My tousan's having a dirty dream about my best friend's father... This is unreal!" - Goten_  
  
  
When Vegeta awoke the next morning, it was to a feeling of bone-deep contentment. Somehow, before he'd drifted off, he had pulled the blanket on the bed up to cover the both of them, but majority of the warmth he felt was coming from the large Saiya-jin cuddling him from behind like a giant stuffed animal. During the course of their slumber, Kakarotto had wrapped his arms tightly around Vegeta's torso and pulled him flush against his chest. Since it was not yet morning, the small Saiya-jin could only assume that the erection he felt behind him was a product of either stimulation or an erotic dream. With a smirk, Vegeta rotated his hips experimentally, causing Kakarotto to moan and thrust against him. The slick feel of his skin against his own caused Vegeta to develop his own erection, which he ignored. If he didn't masturbate again for the rest of his life, it would be too soon.  
  
It was over. The Second Change was over. Vegeta smiled slightly to himself and allowed himself the pleasure of being free from the burning. But now he was ensnared by something of an entirely different nature.  
  
Behind him, Kakarotto was waking up. He nuzzled Vegeta's neck, his tongue emerging to taste the slightly salty skin he found there. Vegeta bit off a groan of need and disentangled himself from the baka. Turning around to face him, he could easily see Kakarotto's large endowment perfectly erect and simply begging to be touched.  
  
"Iie[1]," Vegeta whispered. "I have self-control. I am not ruled by my desire." Then Kakarotto opened his eyes and smiled up at him and he was nearly undone entirely.  
  
"Ohayo, Vegeta," he said. "Do you have any regrets?"  
  
It would be an odd thing to ask so soon after waking if they had not had a history of animosity lying between them. "No more than usual." The other man frowned, but let it go.  
  
According to the bright red numbers of the clock on the bedside table it was a little after one p.m. Goku thought about the experience he'd had earlier that day and found himself smiling before he'd fully realized it. Vegeta was standing before him with a strange look on his face, body uncovered and obviously aroused. Goku himself lay hard and throbbing and was more than ready to pick up where they'd left off in the morning.  
  
"Stop right there," Vegeta said when he shifted on the bed and reached for him. "I'm already going to be walking funny for the rest of the day because of your dick and your vigor. Let's not make it worse."  
  
Goku blushed and looked down at the blanket. "Sorry, Vegeta."  
  
"Don't be. We both enjoyed it." He then proceeded to disappear into the bathroom and the sound of the shower was soon audible. Goku set there, motionless for a long moment, before touching two fingers to his forehead and vanishing.  
  


***

  
"Kaka-" Vegeta stopped in the doorway, a white towel wrapped around his waist, and just stared. "Where the fuck did he go?"  
  
The only sign that he'd ever had a guest in his room were the clothes still scattered around it. Apparently, wherever his lover had gone he was completely naked. Vegeta walked over to the bed and laid his hands palm-down on the place where Kakarotto had been ten minutes before; it was cool. He couldn't have left more than a few minutes after he'd gone into the bathroom. Vegeta's brow furrowed as he thought about this, wondering what the hell had happened to cause Kakarotto to run. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, one that terrified him straight to his soul. What if he regretted what they'd done?  
  
His legs weak, he sat down on the edge of the bed. Did  _he_  regret what they'd done together? At the time, it had been perfect, the sex pleasurable to the point of insanity. In his mind, it was still perfect. Never before had he felt so close to someone even though they'd fucked and had not made love. Vegeta, for one, had never made love before.  
  
Well, it didn't matter anyway. He and Kakarotto were now an item only to be separated by death.  
  
Whether they liked it or not.  
  
  
  
He ventured downstairs for food and stumbled across his daughter. Bura was fourteen-years-old, too intelligent for her own good, and had just recently started to think that she needed martial arts training. When she'd asked her father about it, he'd mentally groaned and wished she'd asked years ago. As it was, she would be slow to learn and unable to defend herself properly for a year or more. ' _Maybe Pan should train her instead,_ ' he thought idly.  
  
"Papa!" She clutched his arms and examined his face. "Are you alright? Kaasan said that you were sick..."  
  
He mentally cursed. Damn that onna! "I'm fine now, Bura. How are you?"  
  
She stared at him. "Are you  _really_  feeling okay?"  
  
Vegeta debated on telling her at least some of the truth. Trunks, when he'd reached the age range of the First Change, had experienced nothing. The human blood must have diluted their Saiya-jin blood to the point that the primal urges had no effect. He didn't doubt that Bura would be free of the Changes as well. Why bother her with something she would, most likely, never experience and would never understand?  
  
But he found himself speaking anyway, knowing deep down that she  _would_  understand at least some of it. "I've always said that Saiya-jin were different than humans, Bura, but you have no idea  _how_  different." He went into the kitchen and began to rummage around in the refrigerator, knowing that his daughter would follow. When he'd gotten enough items out to make a giant sandwich, he continued his narrative. "Trunks never went through the First Change, or Saiya-jin puberty, and neither will you. The ningen in your blood has taken that away from you, but that's a good thing, trust me. You wouldn't like going into heat and trying desperately to find the perfect person to mate with."  
  
Her mouth dropped open. "And that happens at  _puberty_? How young are the kids when they first have these adult feelings?"  
  
"Between fifteen and twenty-four Saiya-jin years, which is about seventeen and twenty-six ningen years, I believe. The Mating Cycle is only three years long for us so there was a chance that you would go into heat four times."  
  
Two red spots colored Bura's cheeks. "How old were you, um...?"  
  
"Fifteen, eighteen, twenty-one, and twenty-four. It also happens again when a Saiya-jin reaches the prime of their life at between fifty and fifty-five, but only once." He would not say anymore. He refused to. But the embarrassment shone clear on his face because the blush on Bura's deepened.  
  
"Papa," she said quietly, "is that why you've been missing these past few days? You were in heat?" He nodded. "When does it stop? Do you have to have sex with someone or is there a maximum time limit?" Now she sounded curious, something she'd inherited from Buruma. It was the sound of a scientist hoping to learn more about a phenomenon they'd never heard of before.  
  
"It depends," he muttered, focusing his eyes entirely on the making of his sandwich. He layered the meat, the cheese, the lettuce, and the tomato and then began drawing complex pictures over it all with the mustard bottle. All to avoid meeting his daughter's gaze. "The First Change has a twelve hour limit. I don't know much about the Second Change since I don't remember what my father said about it."  
  
"But you're down here today so something must have happened to stop it. I assume that there's no time limit. So you had sex?" The color was back. "Not with Kaasan, I hope."  
  
He visibly recoiled at the mere thought and then snorted. "I'm not going near the onna again." Vegeta lowered his voice and leaned in closer, feeling somewhat like a teenage girl at a slumber party. "If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you who I was with."  
  
"Go on, I won't tell." The look on her face was interesting, sort of a cross between eagerness and unease. Her father opened his mouth and then promptly shut it when his oldest walked into the room.  
  
"Long time no see, Papa," he said. "Did Goku-san[2] hurt you so bad the last time you saw him that you couldn't move?"  
  
To Bura's utter amazement, her father's cheeks darkened. "Something like that," he muttered. Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise.  
  
"Goku-san?" she mouthed. Then she smiled. Well, there was no help for it. "Trunks is twenty-six, Papa. In Ningen years. I think you should tell him all about the Changes, just in case."  
  
The lavender-haired demi-Saiya-jin looked at his sister then looked as his father. "What is she talking about?"  
  
Vegeta scowled. "Something I don't want to get into. Something I hope you never have to go through."  
  
"Ja, minna," Bura waved and left the room. Trunks, on the other hand, took a seat with the indication that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Vegeta busied himself with pouring a glass of juice before sitting across from his son. Then he fussed with plate, moving it this way and that, as if it wasn't aligned perfectly on the table for him. Trunks reached over and stilled his hands with a serious expression.  
  
"If you're this nervous, then Bura's right. You have to tell me. After all, you told her, didn't you?"  
  
"That was before I realized that there was still the remote chance that you would go through the First Change. I hadn't realized that you still have a few months before you turn twenty-seven."  
  
He then proceeded to explain, in the most succinct of terms, about the changes a Saiya-jin's body underwent during the First Change. Because this was his son and not his analytical daughter, he told him about his own experience with the heat. Trunks' face was burning by the time he'd heard the entire, albeit heavily edited, story of the first and second time his father had gone into heat. When Vegeta reached the Second Change, however, he paused and buried his face into his hands with a deeply-felt groan.  
  
"Papa?" Trunks inquired.  
  
"As I've already told you," he began, his voice only slightly shaking, "the only time I felt the least bit sane during the Heat was while I was on the receiving end." He looked up, his eyes dark and ashamed. "The Second Change transcends the first by far. There is no time limit and there is no way to sate the hunger beyond giving it exactly what it wants. I could have been driven insane in just under a week's time if a certain someone hadn't intervened."  
  
"Who?" his son questioned. "Who would even dare to top you?"  
  
He gave him a look. "You know who."  
  
"Oh." Then his eyes widened and his face took on a redness so deep he felt as if he would pass out from the rush of blood to his head. "OH!"  
  
"Haven't seen him since. That bastard skipped out this afternoon while I was in the shower. I told him what it meant. I told him that he was as compatible to me as I was to him. It binds you closer together than anything else in the world." He grew angrier with every second until he clenched his fists and brought them down onto the table, nearly causing it to collapse. As it were, only his glass of grape juice tipped over.  
  
"Ah, Papa, I think Goku-san's afraid. Not of you, but of what he feels. When he was with ChiChi, he was always so controlled by her. Every little thing he thought or did was carefully regulated. Now, he's in control of himself and isn't used to it yet."  
  
"Well, that baka just better get used to having me around because nothing can ever tear us apart." He rose, shoving his sandwich over to his son before getting a towel to clean the table. "Go ahead. I'm not hungry anymore."  
  
Trunks dug in, swallowing quickly when he saw his father heading over to the doorway. "I hope you feel better, Papa."  
  
"Yeah," he responded. "I hope I feel better, too."  
  


***

  
Luckily Goten wasn't home when he got there, or Goku would have had a lot of explaining to do. He was standing in the living room, body bared for the world to see, with a raging erection that twitched every time he thought of what he and Vegeta had done earlier that day.-- which meant that it was constantly in motion. It wasn't that he had any regrets, or that he hadn't enjoyed the time he'd spent with the small Saiya-jin, but, rather, he feared Vegeta would. Over the course of the time they'd known each other, Goku could count on one hand the moments Vegeta had actually been kind to him. At first, it used to bother him a lot, but then he realized that Vegeta simply didn't know any other way to communicate. That hadn't stopped him from hoping, however.  
  
Then he'd smiled at him -- several times, in fact -- and had said that he completed him. Goku knew, without a doubt, that it was true, but he wanted to give Vegeta a little time to adjust to everything before he proceeded to spend every waking moment by his side.  
  
Hand idly stroking his manhood, Goku headed towards the shower to wash the sweat and dried semen from his body. If only he could keep Vegeta's scent on him afterward.  
  
Goku wasn't very knowledgeable about sex. After living with Kamesennin Muten Roshi, one could wonder how that was possible, but no matter. As a teenager, he had never really felt any sexual urges until the First Change had kicked in when he was fifteen. To put it frankly, Goku had been scared shitless. His body acted as if it wanted to rebel against him and he couldn't get enough of touching himself. He had started to spend an exorbitant amount of time in the toilet at the Kame House, something that caused more than a few raised eyebrows... especially when he re-emerged flushed and obviously embarrassed. Unlike Vegeta, had hadn't been driven nearly insane by lust, but had been able to resist the impulse to rub himself raw.  
  
Then ChiChi had come over looking for him and everything had gone downhill from there.  
  
She didn't leave him alone for a moment, not even long enough for him to go to disappear into the lavatory. The pressure in his body mounted slowly until it had burst. Before he'd even realized what he was doing, ChiChi was spread out naked on his bed, a big smile on her face. Then he'd sunken into her body with little preamble, thrusting and thrusting until he'd reached completion. Afterward, he couldn't help but to think that if he hadn't been horny beyond belief that he probably wouldn't have had sex with her.  
  
A few months later, the consequence of his actions was revealed by ChiChi herself: she was pregnant. And he'd been bound to her ever since.  
  
Until she died, that is.  
  
Shaking himself free of his ChiChi-related memories, Goku focused once again on Vegeta and the way his body had felt wrapped around his own. Before long, he was thrusting into his hand and spraying the tiled wall of the shower with his seed. It did little to satisfy his need, however, and Goku hoped that Vegeta would want to see him soon. He didn't think he could wait much longer.  
  


***

  
When Goten got home the house was quiet and seemingly empty, but his father's ki was present. He dropped his shopping bag on the floor beside the door and tip-toed through the rooms in search of him. He finally found him asleep on his bed (in early evening no less!), nude and aroused. Goten colored scarlet and started to back out of the room when his father stirred and moaned a name.  
  
"Vegeta..."  
  
This caused his son's eyes to widen in shock, before he started to grin. "Wait until Tru-chan[3] hears about this..." he whispered to himself. The rustling sound of Goku rolling over made him freeze in the doorway again, hoping that his father didn't wake up and catch him standing there. When the older man began to hump the bed, he fled as fast as he could in the opposite direction.  
  
"My tousan's[4] having a dirty dream about my best friend's father," he said in awe. "This is unreal!" Another thought entered his mind, one that made him feel proud in a really strange way. ' _He's got the biggest dick I've ever seen in my life!_ '  
  
Within minutes, Goten was on the phone with Trunks. He could hardly make coherent sentences because the news he planned to impart was so exciting. "Tru-chan, guess what? Guess what I saw today?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Well, after I came home from the mall, I wondered where Tousan was. I went all around the house looking for him and eventually found him in his room, asleep. But that's not the interesting part. He was bare-ass naked, Trunks, and was having a dirty dream about Vegeta-san, as evidenced his hard-on and the fact that he moaned his name. I think my father likes your father!"  
  
He heard a snort that could have been of amusement and "I know".  
  
"What the hell do you mean, 'I know'?"  
  
"I mean that I already know that he likes him. Papa likes him, too. In fact, Goku-san was over here earlier screwing him."  
  
Goten stared at the phone for a long moment before saying, "And you didn't call me? That's what cell phones are for, you baka!"  
  
"What kind of person would I look like calling you just to say that my papa told me he got fucked by Goku-san?"  
  
"You mean he actually admitted that he was uke? He really did?"  
  
"Hai. I thought it was strange, too, even though he was explaining the Saiya-jin changes to me. I would have been perfectly happy if he'd left that part out." Goten could tell that he was embarrassed by the sound of his voice. "Actually, he could have left a lot of stuff out."  
  
Goten was going to tease his friend when something he said registered in his mind. "What are 'Saiya-jin changes'?"  
  
"It's a disturbing story, Go-chan. You might be too young to hear it," Trunks chuckled.  
  
"I'm twenty-five!"  
  
"Maybe in calendar years, Go-chan, but not in maturity."  
  
"Well, fuck you!"  
  
The "Yes, please" startled him, much to his friend's pleasure. Trunks then went on to explain the First and Second changes in as few words as possibly, blushing the entire time he did so. In fact, Goten was doing his own blushing. "You mean that might happen to you and me?" the younger demi-Saiya-jin asked.  
  
"Maybe. Papa doesn't know."  
  
A thought occurred to him, one that made him groan at the strange images that entered his mind. "So Tousan went through the First Change?"  
  
"He's Saiya-jin, isn't he?"  
  
"That's something I didn't need to think about. Hey, I'll talk to you tomorrow, 'kay? I'm hungry."  
  
"You're always hungry."  
  
"And  _you're_  always horny. If you went into heat, no one would even know the difference."  
  
"Real funny, you baka. See you later, Go-chan. Ja."  
  
"Ja." He disconnected the call and left his room to return the phone to the living room, bumping into his father in the small hallway. Goku was still naked and still very much aroused. His son looked down in reflex, shocked to see that his father's manhood looked even larger up close, and slowly backed away into his room.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Tousan!" he squeaked before slamming the door shut. "Please tell me when it's safe to come out!"  
  
"Goten, c'mon, we have the same parts." Goku was more than a little amused at his antics.  
  
"Hai, but not of the same proportion." Knowing that Goten was going to be weird about it for the rest of the night, Goku really began to regret not masturbating before he headed off to the toilet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] = no  
> [2] = a suffix that's added for respect  
> [3] = a suffix that indicates a young child, a lover, or a close female friend  
> [4] = short for "otousan"; a less formal version that means "dad"


	3. The End of the Honeymoon

_"Tru-chan, the 'baka' has flown the coop. I repeat: the 'baka' has flown the coop." - Goten_  
  
  
Neither Trunks nor Bura could help but to watch their father more closely than ever before. They both wondered if Goku would come over so that they could see how the two of them interacted. The sound of polyphonic techno startled them out of their thoughts, but it was just Trunks' cell phone.  
  
"Moshi moshi.[1]"  
  
Bura could hear Goten's voice even from a few feet away. "Tru-chan, the 'baka' has flown the coop. I repeat: the 'baka' has flown the coop."  
  
The siblings exchanged looks. "What the hell are you talking about?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Tousan left the house! I'm pretty sure he's going over to the Capsule Corp."  
  
Suddenly, a large figure appeared, scaring a few years a life out of them both. "AH!"  
  
There was a silence, then Goten said, "Oh. He must have made it."  
  
"Goku-san, that wasn't very nice," Bura scolded.  
  
He placed one hand behind his head in his usual sheepish way. "Whoops. Sorry 'bout that. Is Vegeta up and moving around yet? I don't want to disturb him if he isn't." Bura and Trunks exchanged looks again. "Nani?"  
  
The girl of the small group grinned at him in a knowing way. "Somehow, Goku-san, I don't think he would mind if you did." The Saiya-jin blushed. "Though, he is a little angry with you for disappearing yesterday..."  
  
"Vegeta discussed what we did with you two?!" Now he was beyond embarrassed; to put it simply, Goku was mortified.  
  
"Not in detail, thank Kami," Trunks said. "But enough so that we could understand the Changes. Did you go through the First Change, Goku-san?"  
  
"Hai, I did, and, iie, I don't want to talk about it." He looked miserable remembering it. "It's too painful."  
  
Bura patted his shoulder. "That's too bad, but things are better now, right? Wait here just a minute and I'll go see if Papa is ready to receive visitors." She knew that she was the best person for the job because chances were nil that he would yell at her or throw things. This left behind two men who were looking everywhere but at each other.  
  
"Do you love him?" Trunks asked quietly.  
  
"Well, I've always respected him. In recent years, I've even grown to like him. But love?" Goku contemplated this for a moment. "I'm not too sure I know what love feels like," he said honestly. "He said we were bound together now, though, and I believe that."  
  
"You  _better_  believe it, Kakarotto, or you'll have one very pissed of Saiya-jin on your hands." Vegeta stood in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame dressed in tight black jeans and a blank tank. The very sight of him caused Goku's mouth to grow dry. "Explain." Quietly, Trunks made a quick exit, hoping to intercept Goten. He knew that his friend was on his way over and that it was only a matter of time before he landed on his doorstep.  
  
Goku grew flustered... and horny. Quickly, he turned around so that his back was to Vegeta, but that looked pretty disrespectful so he settled for being partially turned away instead. "I thought you might like a little time to yourself, that's all. Did I fuck up?"  
  
The unfamiliar sound of Goku cursing made him smile a little. "Yeah, but it's okay now. I thought you hated what we'd done together and was trying to get as far away from me as you could." Though his tone was light, his eyes betrayed his true pain. In an instant, Goku was across the room and taking him into his arms.  
  
"I've always known you were something special, Vegeta. Remember when I saved your life even after you tried to kill me and everyone I cared about?" he deliberately remained teasing.  
  
"Me being 'special' had nothing to do with it, in my mind. I'd thought you'd gone insane."  
  
"Maybe I have," he murmured against his hair. "If so, I'm 'insane with lust for you'."  
  
His lover groaned. "You should have kept that one to yourself, Kakarotto."  
  
The two of them stood there, content that neither of them seemed to be disturbed by their new relationship. "So, what are we going to do? Are we going to live together now?"  
  
Vegeta stepped back a little and raised an eyebrow. "Hold on a second, Kakarotto. We simply fucked. That doesn't mean that we're now married."  
  
"Who are you trying to fool, Vegeta? Me, or yourself? Nothing between us is the same anymore." He smiled. "I really liked waking up next to you."  
  
Against his will, Vegeta found himself melting. "Shit," he said in disgust. "Why do I always feel like a teenage girl around you?"  
  
Gently, Goku grasped his stirring manhood. "With this down here, you are far from being a teenage girl." The organ sprang to attention at his touch. "I see we're up for another round."  
  
"We had sex  _yesterday_ , baka. Almost twenty-four hours has passed since I last had an orgasm."  
  
Goku kissed him heatedly, his tongue exploring Vegeta's mouth awkwardly, but passionately. "We'll just have to fix that."  
  


***

  
Trunks and Bura was more than a little shocked to hear such sounds coming from their father's room. The soundproofing was good and all, but once you got within a few feet of the door faint sounds were audible. Both demi-Saiya-jin knew that the noises had to be pretty loud to filter out into the hallway.  
  
"Who do you think that was?" Bura whispered.  
  
A few moments later she had an answer to her question. "Fuck me, you baka!" She recoiled visibly and practically ran down the hall until she was out of earshot, Trunks close behind her.  
  
"It was a rhetorical question! I didn't really want to know!"  
  
Trunks grinned at her. "It's a little surprising to know that Papa's the bottom. Even after he told me his story."  
  
His sister merely shook her head. "Niichan[2], does it bother you that Papa's with another man?"  
  
"Why should it? I think Goku-san's the only person who would willingly put up with his shit."  
  
"Yeah, but a lot of people wouldn't like it..." Namely, all of Goku's friends. She sighed. "I just don't want anyone giving them a hard time because they found each other."  
  
"Well, if they do..." Trunks smirked and the expression reminded his sister so strongly of their father that she gasped. "They'll have to deal with me."  
  
"Don't forget me!"  
  
Footsteps on the stairs startled them and, within seconds, Buruma was on the second floor. Though middle-aged, she still retained some of the beauty that she'd been known for throughout Satan City via the media's interest in her father's inventions. Her graying blue hair was perfectly styled and she wore an aqua skit and jacket ensemble with a white silk blouse and matching aqua pumps. "Hi, kids. What's going on?"  
  
"Kaasan, where are you going?" Bura glanced nervously at her brother, imagining her mother's reaction if she passed by her father's room just as he emitted a particularly loud cry of passion.  
  
"Well, I left a folder with important documentation on my desk and I need to get it before the meeting in half an hour."  
  
"I'll do it for you!" she nearly shouted. Bura turned and sprinted down the hall to her mother's bedroom. "It's no problem!"  
  
When Buruma turned to look at her son, he immediately turned away to look out a nearby window. "Trunks-chan..." she said warningly.  
  
"I have no idea what's going on with her," he responded quickly. "Honest!"  
  
"Alright, but you better not be lying to me." She frowned as she looked in the direction her daughter had gone. "Do you know where has your father been hiding lately?"  
  
He wondered how he could answer her question without giving away anything, but also without causing her to inquire further. "Hmm, well, I'm sure he's still in the house," he offered. "He made Bura tamagoyaki two days ago and he gave me a sandwich yesterday."  
  
"Vegeta, sharing food with other people?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"Hai, Kaasan. He's not an ogre or anything, you know."  
  
"You could have fooled me," she muttered.  
  
Thankfully, Bura returned quickly with a manila folder. "See, no problem!" she grinned.  
  
"Arigatou, Bura-chan," Buruma said with a smile. She turned to leave when a door down the hall creaked open and the sound of cheerful whistling caught their attention. The three of them turned and saw a shirtless Goku, his pants low on his hips, pause in the doorway to say something to the man within.  
  
"Do you want me to bring something back, Vegeta-chan?"  
  
"Other than your dick, no. Just don't eat everything in the fridge, Kakarotto!"  
  
"Alright." Goku shut the door and started off on his trip to the kitchen, but he didn't make it farther than one step because he noticed the three people staring at him. Trunks and Bura wore "uh oh" expressions, while Buruma's face was a mask of shock. Goku blushed, the color spreading down his neck to settle in his chest. "Uh, konnichi-wa, Buruma."  
  
His friend shook her head. "I'm not going to think about this right now, I've got things to do. But later we're all going to have a little chat." She fixed Goku, Trunks, and Bura with a hard stare in turn. "Am I understood?"  
  
"Hai, Kaasan," her children chorused. Goku merely stared at the floor.  
  
"Son-kun[3]?" Her tone caused him to look up and nod rapidly. "Good." As Buruma went headed off to her meeting, the three left behind all let out sighs of relief. However, Goku was trembling at little the longer the silence was allowed to drag on.  
  
"Goku-san?" Bura asked, going over to him and placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I don't think Kaasan's  _disgusted_  or anything. Rather, I think she's upset that you hid it from her."  
  
"It's only been two days since this all began."  
  
"But she doesn't know that. When we have the talk later, be sure to explain as much as you can to her."  
  
Trunks opened his mouth to add something positive, when his cell phone chirped. "Whoops, time to meet Goten. He'll be pissed off if I'm late again." He lifted his hand in farewell. "See ya."  
  
His sister waited until he was out of earshot to say, "Those two are such bakas."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"They should have been a couple years ago. Maybe even before I was born, not that they were really mature enough to handle it then. It's like Trunks and Goten were made just for each other." She smiled and said softly, "Just like Papa was made just for you."  
  
Goku watched her walk to her room with a thoughtful expression on his face. Did he believe that he and Vegeta were fated to be together? Maybe not, but he did believe that they could be happy together if the two of them would allow it to happen.  
  


***

  
Goku dreaded the setting of the sun. Buruma often worked long hours into the night on some project or another, completely forgetting to eat and to sleep in favor of sticking with her work. He hoped that she could get caught up in something and completely forget that she was supposed to have a talk with them. Maybe, due to the stress of her job, she'd forgotten ever seeing Goku emerge from Vegeta's rooms and had listened to the talk that had flowed between them.  
  
And then he thought that maybe a bad guy would suddenly show up on Chikyuu-sei and kill them all.  
  
The four of them plus Goten (who'd stayed over upon hearing about what had happened) sat on the couch as if awaiting an execution. Vegeta was muttering to himself in Saiya-go, a language that struck familiar chords within Goku's heart, but he didn't allow himself to think about it for very long in favor of creating possible scenarios. Bura was curled up on one end of the couch next to Trunks (who sat next to Goten). It made for very close quarters, but all of them seemed to draw comfort from each other.  
  
"It doesn't matter what she says," Goten said suddenly, startling everyone who had been lost in their own thoughts. "She can't control you."  
  
Goku looked at him with an expression that broke his heart. "But she's my oldest friend. I can't deny that her opinion means a lot to me."  
  
"Bakayaro[4]," Vegeta said softly, cuffing Goku gently on the head. "She can mean a lot to you, but you can't let her rule your life.  _I'm_  the most important person to you now and don't you ever forget that."  
  
The arrogant statement made his lover smile. "Hai, Vegeta-chan." The staccato of heels across a wooden floor wiped the expression from his face.  
  
"I see that you're all assembled," Buruma said brusquely while setting her briefcase onto the coffee table, "so let's get down to business." Then she realized Goten would be joining them and rolled her eyes a little.  
  
"For Kami knows how long, Son-kun has been sneaking in here to see Vegeta. To maybe do things with him that people don't speak of in polite conversation, or while there's children present." She pointedly looked at Bura who stared back in defiance. "What do you have to say for yourself, Goku?"  
  
"In my defense, I only snuck over here once. The second time, which was today, I 'ported into the living room. You just weren't around to see it." He tried to be brave in the face of Buruma's hard stare, but was finding that his resolve was slowly cracking.  
  
The woman before them paced the length of the room and returned to her previous place on the other side of the coffee table before she spoke again. "So, this..." She waved her hand abstractly. "... _whatever_  is still new?"  
  
"Hai, onna." Vegeta laid a hand on Goku's knee, instantly causing the tension to drain out of his body. "The reasons why Kakarotto and I have become a couple are beyond your understanding so I won't waste my breath trying to explain."  
  
"Papa, you explained it to Niichan and me, and he explained it to Goten-niichan, and we all understand," Bura said quietly. "Maybe you should give Kaasan a chance." Her brother and Goten nodded in agreement and even Goku was staring at Vegeta, waiting for him to make a decision. The former Saiya-jin no Ouji opened his mouth to speak, but then shook his head.  
  
"She's your friend, Kakarotto, you do the honors. Beyond the children we share, and beyond the fact that I live in her house, we have no ties to each other."  
  
"Ah, okay, Vegeta." He swallowed harshly, cleared his throat, then swallowed again. "Saiya-jin bodies go through changes at certain times so that they would have kids?" He said that last as a question. Vegeta nodded in ascent so he carried on. "Um, the First Change happens during puberty. It's like this uncontrollable feeling that makes you want to, um, hump anything that will stand still long enough." His face was painfully red. "If you start early on, you can go into heat four times. I did," he said quietly. "Vegeta did, as well. We're hoping that the kids here won't."  
  
"When you were kids, you two didn't even know each other. What relevance does this have on the here and now?"  
  
"It, uh, happens again at what ningen call middle age. It's like Saiya-jin version of what ningen think eighteen or twenty-one is like. We're at the height of our strength and power and, um, sexual prowess when we reach fifty or so."  
  
Buruma sat down. Hard. "So you're saying that Saiya-jin live so incredibly long that fifty is young to you?"  
  
He nodded. "I still have a little while to go before I reach the Second Change. Vegeta..." The blush returned and he couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "Vegeta went through it recently and came out safely on the other side."  
  
"He was aroused by my scent," Vegeta took over, his voice sounding bored, "and I was aroused by his. To Saiya-jin, this proves that two people are perfect for each other. You are supposed to find your partner during the First Change, but I hadn't known that he existed yet. If we had still been on Vegeta-sei, it's quite likely that we would have found each other, but that also means that would have never had children."  
  
"Then I'm glad that you weren't," Trunks said to break the discomfort that had settled in the room. "I really like existing."  
  
"So, does this bind the two of you irrecoverably together?" Buruma looked pale and shaky. "What will everyone think?"  
  
"Fuck 'everyone'!" Vegeta said harshly, startling them all. "This is none of their business!"  
  
"Vegeta," Goku murmured. The mere sound of his voice calmed him. To Buruma he said, "They don't have to know, do they?"  
  
"They're your friends, Goku," she answered. "If you keep it from them and they find out later, how do you think they will feel?"  
  
The look on his face nearly brought tears to her eyes. Goku knew what the reaction of the others would be and had no hope that it would be good. "How do you think Vegeta and I will feel when they reject us outright and call us perverts? This is beyond ningen understanding. They will not be told."  
  
"Come, Kakarotto," Vegeta said, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. "We will make plans."  
  
"Plans?" When neither answered, Buruma grew angry. "Plans for what?!"  
  
Vegeta paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder. "For life. We've both been unhappy for far too long."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] = a greeting that's only used when answering the telephone  
> [2] = informal word for brother (versus "oniichan" or "oniisan")  
> [3] = a suffix that indicates affection for a male school friend (more distant than "chan")  
> [4] = another word for idiot


	4. Evolution

_"I hate considering the feelings of others. It makes things too complicated." - Vegeta_  
  
  
After comforting Goku until he fell asleep, Vegeta knew that he couldn't live in Buruma's house any longer. He knew that she was one of the people that disapproved of the relationship he had with Kakarotto, maybe even to the point that she would try to "make them see reason". No matter how long he lived on Chikyuu, or no matter how much good he did, the ningen would always see him as the same cold-blooded murderer who'd come to their planet over twenty-five years ago. But he was content in the knowledge that Goku, one of the people who'd seen him at his worst, had also seen enough light within his soul to let him leave after their first encounter.  
  
He was lying half on top of Kakarotto, knowing that his weight wasn't making the larger Saiya-jin uncomfortable. The bare skin of his chest that lay beneath his cheek was the perfect combination of velvet smoothness and solid steel and the heartbeat he could both hear and feel was comforting. Kakarotto's arms were wrapped around his narrow waist and his thigh was nestled against his crotch. It would be very easy to return to sleep, encircled by the safety and warmth of Kakarotto's arms, but he knew they had to get up. Today was the day he planned to move into his mate's home in East District and he wanted to do so before Buruma began to poke her nose into things.  
  
But there was still time to enjoy his morning. Vegeta turned very slowly so as not to wake his lover prematurely and began to take broad, wet swipes of his tongue across the lightly tanned flesh of Kakarotto's chest. The large body beneath him shuddered and the arms around his body tightened slightly in response.  
  
Then he took one hardening nipple into his mouth, applying suction, and Kakarotto woke up with a sharp intake of breath.  
  
"Vegeta," he moaned, pulling the small body closer. Their burgeoning erections slid against each other as each Saiya-jin's hips began to thrust. Vegeta smirked as best he could around his mouthful and began to nibble at the rigid pebble, gently at first, then harder. The arching of Kakarotto's back and the moan torn free from his throat revealed how much he enjoyed his ministrations.  
  
"I want, I want," he gasped.  
  
Suddenly, all motion ceased. Vegeta even went as far as to pull free from his embrace. "Hai, Kakarotto? What  _do_  you want?"  
  
He was suddenly shy. "Um, you know. I want you to... Down there..." He gestured broadly with his hand. Wickedly, Vegeta slowly licked a trail over his sternum down the center of his torso to dip into his navel.  
  
"You mean here?" he asked teasingly.  
  
"Lower!"  
  
His tongue took a wide path around his aching need and slid to the inside of his left thigh. "Here?"  
  
"Fuck, Vegeta!" While not exactly where he wanted him to be, the sensation of the other Saiya-jin's warm breath on his testicles was amazing. He spread his thighs as far apart as they would go and tilted his hips upward. Suddenly, his tight pink orifice was on display to Vegeta's hungry gaze.  
  
For a moment, neither of them moved. Vegeta's breath ghosted over an area where no man or woman had ever dared to go before, causing his lover to shiver. Then, without warning, the small Saiya-jin darted forward and swiped his tongue across the puckered skin. A loud, long moan the likes of which he had never heard from Goku before was wrenched free and it was suddenly all he could do to hold him down so that he could pull even more from his body. Who knew that he was so sensitive?  
  
It took a moment for Vegeta to realize that Goku was chanting something over and over again that suspiciously sounded like, "Fuck!" He was completely focused on tonguing the small opening and occasionally thrusting the small organ inside to pay attention to anything else. The responses he was receiving from Goku's body delighted him and it was a moment before he realized that he was moments away from coming and he hadn't even touched himself.  
  
But then he stopped and crawled up Goku's body until his manhood was positioned at his entrance. Tear tracks wet Goku's cheeks, but he was certain that they were from experiencing more pleasure than what his body was used to. He pressed his lips to his mate's face and kissed away the wetness, pausing briefly to kiss the soft, slightly parted lips.  
  
"Do you want me to?" he breathed into his mouth.  
  
One word made husky by passion, "Hai..."  
  
"Alright, then. Just relax, Kakarotto, and I'll give you the ride of your life."  
  
He prepared him gently, making sure to press against the sweet spot inside of him multiple times. The turgid erection that rose up from his crotch was weeping copiously by the time he deemed him ready. After ensuring that his own erection was coated in the lube he'd substituted for the lotion the day before, he pressed inward slowly and surely until his hips were flush against Goku's ass. It was the first time he'd ever been inside of another man and the pleasure he felt threatened to make him go into sensory overload. Vegeta took an experimental thrust that caused his mate to moan in response and was soon keeping up a steady pace. Every time he thrust forward, Goku made sure to thrust back.  
  
"Faster, 'geta," Goku urged.  
  
"I'm going as fast as I fucking can!" Then, as he was struck with an idea, he tapped into the golden place inside of him that had taken him so many years to access and exploded into Super Saiya-jin. His body grew to accommodate his increase in power, which caused his manhood to expand within Goku's body. The large Saiya-jin's eyes flew open wide and he transformed as well, a scream tearing at his throat.  
  
Now it was Vegeta's turn to chant incoherently as he slammed himself over and over again into his mate's body. He knew that there was a great chance that both of them would be bruised and sore afterward, but he just didn't give a fuck.  
  
When Goku came, he was like a wild animal. After the first time, after all of the endearing cluelessness had melted away, he had allowed himself to be swept up in the moment. It usually resulted in scratches, bruises, and bite marks, but Vegeta didn't mind. In fact, he encouraged it. It was about time the "Third-Class Baka" began to act like a true Saiya-jin and he took it as a clear sign that the ningen brainwashing was finally wearing off.  
  
Goku forced his eyes open and stared into Vegeta's own azure orbs. "I'm almost there, 'geta."  
  
"Not yet," he said. "Just a little while longer."  
  
"In a little while longer I'm going to explode."  
  
He leaned forward and licked away the pool of sweat that had collected in the hollow of his throat. "And I'll be here to put you back together again." Vegeta looked up at him with eyes dark with desire and whispered, "Come for me, Kakarotto."  
  
So he did, the resulting spasms of his inner chamber squeezing Vegeta until he followed. The small Saiya-jin collapsed upon Goku's sweat-slicked and semen-coated body and just... existed for a little while until he could regain his sanity. And remember his own name.  
  
"And it's just going to get better," he murmured.  
  
"'geta-chan?" Goku said, grabbing him underneath his arms, pulling him upward to lie on his chest like a small child. The feel of Vegeta slipping out made him shudder and immediately feel empty.  
  
"Nothing, Kakarotto." He wrapped his arms around his torso and pressed himself as close as he could to the warm skin. The smell of cinnamon and spice mingled with sweat and musk, threatening to make him hard again. "We can only rest for a few minutes because I want to get out of here soon." Any reply he received from his mate was lost as Vegeta slipped into slumber.  
  


***

  
It had become habit to meet her best friend in the courtyard before school began, not that they never spent any time together outside of school. In fact, they were usually seen together so often that people had begun to suspect that something more lay between them. Well, Bura, for one, wouldn't mind a deeper relationship, but she didn't know if Pan would be up for it. Despite all evidence of her being the stereotypical butch lesbian, she had no idea if it was really true or not.  
  
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Bura-chan," Pan greeted with a big yawn. She dropped her bag down on the ground and dropped onto the bench beside her friend. Hirokotsu was a somewhat typical Japanese public high school. They wore uniforms, but, then again, they'd been wearing them since junior high. Even though that was true, Pan had never once stopped complaining about the evils of conformity.  
  
The uniforms consisted of a navy blazer over a white shirt and a solid red tie with shiny black shoes. The girl's uniform also had a navy beret along with a pleated navy skirt while the boy's uniform had navy pants. Bura, who actually thought that the uniforms were cute, wore the girls' uniform with pride. Pan, who soured at the mere mention of anything remotely "feminine", wore the boy's uniform.  
  
"Okayo," the other girl responded. She marked her place in her book and shoved it into her bubblegum pink Hello Kitty backpack. "Have you talked to Goten-niichan at all this weekend?"  
  
"Uh, iie. I was supposed to train with Goku-ojiichan, but I couldn't find him anywhere." She focused her dark eyes on Bura. "Do you know something?"  
  
"May-be," she grinned.  
  
Pan raised her hands, her fingers wiggling. "Don't make me tickle you until you pee on yourself. How would you ever explain why you had to miss both homeroom and first period?"  
  
"Okay, okay; don't get your boxer shorts in a bunch." When Pan glared at her, she grinned again. "Well, how much do you like my papa?"  
  
"He's like my tousan, you know that. In fact," the expression on her face turned contemplative, "he's taught me more that my real otousan has ever taught me."  
  
So far so good... "How do you feel about gay relationships?"  
  
The question was so out there that, for a moment, Pan was completely lost. Then her eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"It's a long story that we don't have enough time to get into at the moment. I'll tell you right now that we're now family, and that Papa and Goku-san will be spending a lot more time together, but that's all."  
  
Dark eyes blinked once, then blinked again. "Vegeta-san and Goku-ojiichan are  _lovers_?!" she squeaked, as her brain reached a conclusion.  
  
"Hai. Apparently, it was meant to be." Her mind began to conjure up many different sappy shounen ai scenarios, knowing for a fact that their relationship would probably never degenerate into fluffiness. "I think it's sweet. You should see the way they look at each other." She paused, noticing that her friend hadn't said a word beyond her initial exclamation of surprise. "Pan-chan?"  
  
The othe girl sat there, her mouth wide open with shock. "Pan-chan, close your mouth before you catch flies." She reached over and gently pushed her chin upward. "There you go."  
  
She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. "I think it's cool," she said finally. "Goku-ojiichan has been lonely since ChiChi-obaasan died, not that they were ever compatible. Vegeta-san never really, um, got along with Buruma-san. She, um, well..." Pan looked at Bura from the corner of her eye.  
  
"They never loved each other," the girl shrugged, "but they both love Trunks and I enough not to scream at each other every five seconds so it's okay."  
  
"Good," she smiled. But, soon, it transformed into a worried frown. "Otousan is not going to be pleased."  
  
"That's the understatement of the century, Panny."  
  


***

  
Their slumber was interrupted by the sound of loud knocking on the door. Vegeta groaned in annoyance and snuggled back into Goku's body, otherwise not moving. There was a second of silence, then the door was opening and a shaft of light from the hallway splashed across the bed.  
  
"Up, you two, right now!" Buruma called. She stepped into the room and froze when she encountered the two naked Saiya-jin wound together on the bed. All of the so-called "naughty bits" were covered, but there was still a lot of skin on display. After allowing herself to acknowledge that Vegeta still turned her on (and that her old friend did as well), she walked over to the side of the bed and roughly shook Vegeta's shoulder. "You have two hours to get out now that you've 'found each other'. Goku has his own house, and I'm sure you'll be quite happy there."  
  
He mumbled something that she was sure insulted her, and turned his head away. "Damn onna. If you would just leave us alone for a few minutes, we can get started. You lost your privellige to see my dick when we broke up and you sure as hell aren't going to see Kakarotto's."  
  
"Fuck you," she spat, angry that he could still upset her. "I'm glad that you're leaving. Do you know how much money I had to spend on food just for you?" As Buruma launched into a rant, she failed to notice the wince of annoyance that crossed Goku's face.  
  
"Hey, Buruma, could you please get out?" he asked. "I'm not in the mood this morning."  
  
She stopped mid-word. "Nani?" Vegeta snickered to himself.  
  
"You heard him. Get. The. Fuck. Out." The woman huffed, anger, frustration, and hurt multipling, and stomped out of the room.  
  
Vegeta sat up and folded his left leg under him while allowing the right one to dangle off the side of the bed. "I would have never thought you had it in you."  
  
Goku blushed. "Me either. But she sounded so much like ChiChi and I don't want to be reminded of all the times she screamed at me." Yawning, he stretched and scratched at his testicles (which caused him to notice the "morning wood"). "I don't suppose you want to do something with that?"  
  
"Not this morning. If she comes back in here bitching and moaning, I might be forced to kill her."  
  
"Buruma? The mother of your children? My first friend?"  
  
Vegeta scowled. "I hate considering the feelings of others. It makes things too complicated."  
  
He smiled and hugged him. "Well, I really like it and you  _do_  want to make me happy, don't you?" The small Saiya-jin muttered something uncomplimentary that made Goku laugh.  
  
They got up and showered separately to save time. Each had thoughts of running soap-slick hands all over a wet, naked Saiya-jin body and knew that they could easily waste an hour or more if they showered together. Vegeta went first so that he could begin packing while his mate showered, but was finished before Goku emerged.  
  
"This is it," he frowned, staring at the sad assembly of two medium-sized boxes. His spandex training uniforms didn't take up much room, nor did what little non-spandex clothing he owned. He only had one other pair of shoes that weren't his boots and no personal mementos to speak of beyond the little gifts Trunks and Bura had made for him when they were small children. It was depressing, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not.  
  
"It's okay, 'geta-chan, we can get stuff that can belong to the both of us." Goku wrapped his arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Sure, Kakarotto," he answered, "whatever you say."


	5. A Saiya-jin Thing

_"...your otousan has always been an odd duck." - Bura to Pan_  
  
  
Eventually, Pan was able to get the entire story out of Bura at lunch time and she almost dropped her chopsticks in absolute shock. "Will that happen to you?" She knew that most of the things that full and half Saiya-jin were gifted with (not that the Changes were a gift, mind you) she would not receive because she was only a quarter Saiya-jin. Things like a tail, or the ability to transform into Super Saiya-jin.  
  
Bura shrugged. "I don't know. It seems like Trunks will escape the First Change, but he still has a few more months to go before he's out of range."  
  
"I hope you do, too," her friend said sincerely. "You would be miserable and I don't want you to feel that way."  
  
She smiled, thinking that her friend could be so sweet sometimes. "Thanks, Pan-chan."  
  
"Konnichi-wa, ladies," Takanori said as he leaned against the window next to the large desk they shared in homeroom. Both girls glared at him in annoyance, but the boy didn't seem to notice, or he just didn't care enough to acknowledge it.  
  
"Why are you here?" Pan asked without preamble.  
  
He grinned and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "Can't I stop by to say hello to my favorite girls in the school?"  
  
"Iie," they said in unison, pushing him away. Bura grabbed her bag and her lunch. "Come on, Pan, let's go."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Behind them, Takanori was growing angry. His friends across the room, who had been watching him from the moment he walked over to Bura and Pan, were laughing at another failed attempt to charm them. He glared at the girls' backs and shouted at them. "Everyone knows that you're both a couple of perverts! You should be grateful that I'm even bothering with you!"  
  
Pan froze, her free hand involuntarily clenching into a fist. Bura cast a worried look at her and took her hand. "He's not worth it, Pan-chan. Do you want to be suspended again for fighting?"  
  
"But he called you a pervert, Bura-chan!" she whispered. "I can't excuse that."  
  
"Hai, you can. We know that he's nothing but slime. Hell,  _every_  girl knows it. He's just angry that he's not worth giving the time of day to." She said the last loud enough for everyone to hear. A small group of girls in the back of the room began to giggle.  
  
Slowly, Pan calmed down and no longer had the urge to wipe Takanori from the face of the planet. She did, however, wish that she could at least kick him in the nuts. The image of him curled into the fetal position, whimpering like a baby, made her smile. "Let's go."  
  
They went to the courtyard where several other students were taking advantage of the nice day. They sat on the bench they'd claimed as their own and placed their half-eaten meals on the smooth wood between them.  
  
"Um, Pan," Bura said nervously, fidgeting with her chopsticks. "About what happened in there..."  
  
"I'm sorry," she interrupted miserably. "I'm sorry you get such a bad reputation just by being around me. I know that if I would just dress and act like a girl no one would pick on us, but I can't. I just don't feel very girly inside."  
  
"Pan-" But she was cut off again.  
  
"And you can't get a boyfriend because no boy will come near you when I'm around, but you're my only friend, Bura. You're the only one who doesn't think I'm weird."  
  
"Pan-"  
  
"But I can do it," she said with determination. "I can stop tagging along behind you so that you can have a happy life. I would do anything to make you happy."  
  
"Would you shut up for a damn minute and listen to me?!" She started both herself, Pan, and a few people nearby with her outburst. "Arigatou. Look, Pan-chan, I don't want you to go away. You're my best friend and I love you."  
  
"I love you, too," she smiled. "But I still can't help feeling guilty."  
  
The blue-haired teenager leaned closer. "What if I told you that I didn't mind what everyone else assumes about us? That I can't see myself being anywhere else but by your side?"  
  
"You- What- Really?" she squeaked.  
  
"Pan, close your mouth." Bura laughed. "Yes, really." She suddenly grew shy again. "Do you mind if we... dated a little? Just to see what it's like?"  
  
She shook her head quickly. "Uh, iie, of course not." A large grin spread across her face. "I mean, not if  _you_  want to."  
  
"I want to very much."  
  
"Great." Pan couldn't stop smiling. "Great."  
  


***

  
Goku's home was still full of ChiChi's things. He just couldn't bear to give them away or throw them out so they remained exactly in the places they'd been when she was still alive. Vegeta thought it was more than a little eerie to live in a house so full of ChiChi's presense, but he didn't want to say anything lest it prompted their first argument. Following Goku, he dropped off the box he carried in the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"So..." he said.  
  
"So?"  
  
"You wanna spar?"  
  
Goku grinned in excitement. "I thought you'd never ask!"  
  
They went to their usual place, an empty field about a mile away from Goku's house. They assumed thier usual positions and sized each other up, each noting that their opponent seemed to be at their best. They shared a look; this fight would be an exceptionally good one.  
  
They traded blows without pause, each scoring a few hits before Vegeta led them both into Super Saiya-jin. The small Saiya-jin was reluctant to use ki attacks, knowing that seriously hurting Goku was the last thing he wanted to do. He felt that purely physical attacks would be more than enough and, besides, it took more skill to win that way. Watching his mate's body move with a grace and a speed you would never expect from someone so large was seriously turning him on and it reached a point when the throbbing was the only thing he was focused on. Deciding to turn the energy of battle into something entirely different (but no less passionate), he tackled Goku to the ground and they began to wrestle, grinding their erections into each other's bodies at every available opportunity.  
  
Vegeta took the flesh of Goku's neck into his mouth and began to suck in earnest, figuring out fairly quickly that it was an erogenous zone for the larger man. Goku nearly threw him off as he writhed on the ground, his large hands sliding down Vegeta's back to cup his ass. Body heating at the thought of what was to come, Vegeta desperately tugged at his clothing to get it off.  
  
"Damn it!" he cursed in frustration. It was going to be, he decided, the last time he wore a one-piece training suit. As quickly as he could, Vegeta tugged his arms free of the clingy black material and pushed it down to his ankles. The damn boots were in the way and he glared at them severely. Since they would not oblige him and remove themselves, he yanked them, and the bodysuit, off in two quick movements.  
  
When he turned back to his mate, he was already deliciously naked. Vegeta unconsciously licked his lips in anticipation and positioned himself over the straining erection, no preparation whatsoever. Oh, in some distant, sane part of his lust-crazed mind he knew that what he was about to do was going to hurt like hell, but he just didn't care at the moment. Goku opened his mouth to say something, anything, to make him reconsider his action, when Vegeta lowered himself down onto his erection in one fell swoop.  
  
"HOLY FUCK!" Vegeta screamed, not sure if the burning, blinding pain in his rectum turned him off or turned him on even more. If his still-raging erection was any indication, it certainly wasn't the former. Bracing himself on Goku's chest, he began to ride him, observing distantly that it grew easier with every movement. It was probably the blood spilled by the rough coupling.  
  
"You are so tight..." Goku moaned, clutching at Vegeta's hips to aid his movement. With every downward thrust of the small Saiya-jin, he responded with a sharp upward thrust of his own. Never before had he experienced such pleasure from sex, but never before had it been as rough and as purely Saiya-jin as it had been with Vegeta. It was like he was finally allowed to give in to his baser instincts and let himself go.  
  
The wind caressed their flushed bodies, drying the tiny beads of perspiration before they really had a chance to collect. The two Saiya-jin copulated violently until Goku arched his back one last time and something burst deep inside of him. Vegeta looked down at him and the sight of his mate completely engulfed in pleasure sent him over the edge as well. Thick, warm seed shot nearly up to Goku's forehead as he emptied himself. Exhausted, Vegeta allowed himself to fall atop the wide chest below, not caring that he was lying in wetness.  
  
"I stand corrected," he said once he'd caught his breath. " _This_  was the best fuck I've ever had in my life."  
  
When he responded, his words were thick with lethargy. "I concur."  
  


***

  
Their relationship had morphed into something that was beyond explanation. Pan had never before been in a relationship more meaningful than friendship actually, though Bura had had several boyfriends in the past. She honestly didn't know what to do, what to say, what to  _think_. It was as if she was on an out-of-control Merry-Go-Round that was threatening to make her sick even as she screamed in delight.  
  
Nervously, she waited outside of Bura's last class, hoping that her friend hadn't changed her mind about dating her in the last few hours. When she appeared in the doorway, Pan couldn't help herself, she grinned. Bura returned the gesture and they companionably headed, side-by-side, to the exit.  
  
As per usual, they walked to the Capsule Corporation. On the very rare days that Pan went home directly after school she always flew, but with Bura in a skirt that wasn't a good idea. The small, dark-haired girl shoved her hands into her pockets, wanting desperately to bring up their new status, but was afraid to do so.  
  
"Panny-chan, are you okay?" Bura saw the uncomfortable look on her friend's face and thought it had something to do with what they'd spoke of at lunch.  
  
"I should be asking  _you_  that question," she murmured. When Bura replied with, "Nani?" she continued. "You've never dated another girl before, have you?" Pan was fairly sure that she hadn't, considering that the two of them spent practically all their time together. But there had been a brief period when not only were they not in the same grade, they also didn't attend the same school. Pan had studied as hard as she could for months, even going as far as to attend cram school on weeknights and weekends, just so that she could score high enough on a test that would allow her to be elevated to the seventh grade -- Bura's grade. During that time, she'd hardly seen anyone that weren't her parents or fellow students and her joy had been palatable when she was allowed entrance into Junei Junior High for the second term. When Bura had discovered that she'd done so much just to be around her more often, the look on her face had made Pan melt inside. Even back then she had been in love with her.  
  
"Iie."  
  
"Yet you want to date me. Why? I'm nobody special. Just a little quarter alien tomboy." She kicked despondently at a rock on the sidewalk. "But you, you're beautiful. You could have anyone that you want."  
  
"What if who I want is you?"  
  
Pan stopped and turned to stare at her in bewilderment. "But  _why_?"  
  
She smiled at her. Bura had always known that Pan had serious self-esteem issues. No matter how much anyone told her, she continued to believe that she was inadequate to everyone else. But, this time, Bura hoped that she could finally get through to her. "You're my best friend, Pan-chan. I feel closer to you than to anyone else. The fact that you're cute is only an added bonus." Redness blossomed in the younger girl's cheeks and she abruptly looked down at her feet.  
  
When they arrived at the Capsule Corp., Trunks and Goten were standing in the hall, peeking into the living room where Buruma's angry voice could be heard. She'd made friends with the wives of the Z-Senshi fairly easily after the defeat of Majin Buu and they'd formed a little club of sorts. ChiChi, Videl, and Juuhachi-gou had become her confidants and she had become theirs. Well, Videl hadn't really joined until she was in her mid-twenties, but she  _had_  become somewhat close to ChiChi soon after Pan was born for the sake of family harmony.  
  
"Niichan, what's going on?" Bura asked.  
  
"Well, from what I've overheard so far, Goku-san hurt Kaasan's feelings. She thinks that Papa is poisoning his mind."  
  
"They're planning an intervention," Goten added. Pan snorted and rolled her eyes.  
  
Bura frowned. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Can't she see how happy they are? Why does she have to try and ruin things?" She was set to march into the living room and give her mother and her friends a piece of her mind when Pan's hand on her arm halted her forward progress.  
  
"Let's wait a little while longer, okay? Maybe make a few plans of our own."  
  
The women began to comfort Buruma as best they could, but it was obvious that the ranting wouldn't cease. "What about the party tonight?" Juuhachi-gou asked in her usual emotionless voice.  
  
The four in the hall exchanged similar surprised glances. Party? Then Bura smacked her forehead with the open palm of her hand. "I forgot," she whispered. "Kaasan's dinner party. Everyone is supposedly invited."  
  
"Well, I wasn't," Goten complained. His niece shared his sentiment.  
  
"Forget about that, Goten-niichan, this is bad!  _Really_  bad!" Bura started to pace, a worried from on her face. "Goku-san loves to see his friends, he never misses a get-together. Papa isn't going to let him out of his sight -- you all know how overprotective he can be with people he cares about -- and is going to spend most of his time either glaring or growling at everyone who even  _looks_  at his mate."  
  
"That's why we're going to stop it before it begins," said a different voice nearby. They jumped guiltily and smiled sheepishly at Buruma. "Son-kun has to realize that he can not be the lover of Vegeta. Not only is he a bastard, but he's also a man." Videl nodded in agreement, but Juuhachi-gou looked annoyed. Both Bura and Trunks took careful note of this, wondering if they had someone unexpected on their side.  
  
"I don't mean to disrespect, but you're being narrow-minded," Bura said in a desperate attempt to make her mother see reason. "Goku-san and Papa are Saiya-jin; you can't hold them to the same rules as the ningen."  
  
Videl was clearly in support Buruma and her crusade to make her friend "straight" again. "But they live here in Japan therefore they must obey the societal rules of Japan. Men do not partner themselves with other men nor do women with women. There should always be male/female dichotomy."  
  
Her daughter sighed sadly, unable to believe her mother was so ignorant. "Okaasan, how can you think that?" She didn't expect an answer and, so, was completely unsurprised when she didn't receive one.  
  
Trunks, Goten, Bura, and Pan left the wrathful Buruma and went outside to the patio. Bura collapsed onto a picnic bench, Pan hurrying to sit beside her. The two young men conferred quickly and quietly before Goten flew off in the direction of his home to tell his father and Vegeta the bad news.  
  
"It's probably better if he goes," Trunks said aloud to the girls. "He's better at remaining calm in crisis situations than the rest of us."  
  
"What are we going to do, Trunks?" Bura asked. "This is going to suck so bad." She allowed Pan to pull her into an embrace, the act causing her brother to raise one lavender eyebrow in query.  
  
"We're girlfriends now," Pan explained with a huge grin.  
  
"I assume that you mean the dating kind." He expelled a quick burst of air through his nose. "Well, this certainly complicates things even further. Both Kaasan as well as Videl-san are homophobic. I don't know about Gohan-san; he might just be against Papa."  
  
"They don't have to know, Trunks," Bura said softly. "At least not until we're adults and can live on our own."  
  
"And what about you?" Pan smirked. "You and Goten-ojichan should have become boyfriends years ago."  
  
The girls laughed at the embarrassed expression on Trunks' face. "Uh, well, I-" He stared down at his hands. "I think Goten's straight."  
  
Pan snorted. "Yeah, and I'm secretly a drag queen. He notices when you leave a room and when you enter it. Every time you smile you cause him to do the same. If that's not love then I don't know what is."  
  
"What is it with us?" Bura asked suddenly. "I don't know if it's a Saiya-jin thing or something else, but don't you find it strange that Papa, Goku-san, Goten-niichan, me, and you two all can easily find happiness in a relationship with someone of the same gender?"  
  
"Otousan couldn't," Pan pointed out.  
  
"Well, your otousan has always been an odd duck."  
  
The conversation petered out after Bura's statement and the three of them sat in calm, albeit slightly tense silence. Ten minutes later they had the life scared out of them by the impromptu arrival of Goku, Vegeta, and Goten who all wore expressions of unhappiness.  
  
"Shigata gai nai," Goku shrugged with a weak smile. There was no help for it.


	6. Passing Judgement

_"Never challenge a master, Kakarotto, especially when just **thinking**  about sex makes you blush." - Vegeta_  
  
  
Goku paced back and forth in the bedroom, showing the world how upset he was. Vegeta finished buttoning the new black silk dress shirt he'd just purchased several hours before and caught the large Saiya-jin's arm as he went past. "Kakarotto, this isn't helping."  
  
"I know, but I can't seem to sit still." He let his mate pull him into an embrace that threatened to undo him entirely. "'geta-chan, how could she do this to me?"  
  
"Well, first and foremost, I think she's jealous. We're happy, she's not. Second, I think she's so used to you being with ChiChi that seeing you with someone else is strange." He smiled bitterly. "Especially if that someone is me."  
  
"Vegeta..." He kissed him slowly and deeply. "I think I love you, 'geta. I knew you were special from the moment I saw you and I know for sure that I was attracted to you. But so much interfered and it took us so long to finally understand that we were meant to be."  
  
"As much as I want to say that I wish we could have been together a long time ago, I have to admit that it would have been the wrong thing for us. You know how I was, Kakarotto, before Mirai Trunks showed up. We would have just ended up hurting each other and then we wouldn't have what we have right now." Goku noticed that he didn't return the sentiment, but he could wait.  
  
He could wait forever.  
  


***

  
Bura and Pan were hiding in Bura's room. Buruma had started to scare them a few hours before the dinner party began, screaming at them if they even so much as placed a fingertip on her just-cleaned glass-topped coffee table. It was like the Imperial Family was coming to visit, or someone just as important, instead of just a group of her friends.  
  
"I'm afraid of what's going to happen," Pan admitted, which was unusual because she didn't like to admit weakness.  
  
"Don't worry, Panny, we'll be around as backup. So will Niichan and Goten." She held the smaller girl close and stroked her hair, the sensation causing Pan to smile and cuddle closer. They hadn't even shared their first kiss yet, but they already felt like they were falling in love.  
  
Before long it was time to head downstairs. Bura fixed her black halter dress and smoothed down her hair. She'd actually coerced Pan into wearing a skirt for once and felt that she looked cute in it. It was a navy one of Bura's but, because of their height difference, it now came to Pan's knees when it was a mini skirt on her.  
  
"I'm going to forget and leave my legs open, I know it!" Pan said as they left the room. Judging by the look on Bura's face, that wasn't a bad idea. She gulped nervously and looked away from the lecherous look she wore.  
  
The girls went downstairs into what Bura called "Hell" beneath her breath. Buruma was frantically running from room to room, directing the caterers and servers and decorators. They stood well back and partially in shadow so that she didn't see them and simply watched.  
  
Ten minutes before "showtime", Buruma calmed down. She transformed to a woman of poise and sophistication, a sharp contrast to the wild woman of just a short while before.  
  
The door bell rang right on time and Videl and Gohan made their entrance. "Konban-wa, Videl, Gohan. Please let me take your coats." Then she proceeded to snap her fingers, which caused the girls to quickly enter the entrance hall and hang the proffered coats in the closet. Then Buruma led the Sons into the living room, leaving Bura and Pan to roll their eyes in disgust.  
  
"Your mother's acting like she's more important than she really is," Pan complained.  
  
"She's always been like that."  
  
Kuririn and Juuhachi-gou showed up a few minutes later, the Jinzouningen hanging back to speak with the two teenagers. "For the record, I think Buruma's being an idiot. I may not like Vegeta, but even I can see that he's good for Goku. He's looking a lot happier."  
  
"He is," Pan smiled. "They both are."  
  
"Good." Without a backward glance, Juuhachi-gou disappeared into the living room.  
  
The two girls were on their feet for thirty minutes greeting guests and taking their outerwear and serving them hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Personally, they both were angry that they were being treated like hired help, but neither said a word about it to Buruma. They didn't want to set her off and give her a reason to tell the assembled people all about the new relationship between Goku and Vegeta. She would paint it in the worst light possible and the couple wasn't even around to defend themselves.  
  
When the doorbell rang, Pan was already on her feet before anyone else could even think to move. She exchanged worried looks with Bura before hurrying as quickly as she could without running to answer the door.  
  


***

  
Goku had teleported himself, Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten to the Capsule Corp., but was hesitant to actually go inside. He could hear the sounds of talking and laughter from where he stood on the front porch and everyone seemed to be pretty happy.  
  
"We can turn around and leave right now, Kakarotto. You don't have to do this." Vegeta was firm and the two young men beside them were nodding in complete agreement. They all knew how hard it was for Goku that his friend refused to accept his relationship with a man that made him happier than he'd been in a long time.  
  
"No, I have to do this. It's better everyone that hears the news from me and not from a woman who's going to do her best to make us sound perverted and evil." He took Vegeta's hand and squeezed it, smiling at his three defenders. "Thank you, though." Goku rang the bell immediately, before he could lose his newfound nerve, and in a moment the door was being opened. He was relieved to see that it was his granddaughter and suspected that she'd sensed them and had been waiting for the bell to ring.  
  
"So far, so good," she whispered. "Buruma-san hasn't told anyone anything."  
  
"Yet," Goku sighed. Pan briefly squeezed his hand in support and returned to the living room.  
  
"Are you ready?" Vegeta asked softly. His face wore one of the gentle expressions that Goku never saw unless they were alone. He knew that once they'd entered the room, it would be replaced by his typical expression of arrogance.  
  
"Hai. Ai shiteru[1], 'geta," he whispered. Then, with his head held high, he went to join the others.  
  
When Trunks and Goten made a move to follow him, Vegeta held them back. "Look after him tonight," he said and it was more of an order than a request, not that either young man would have refused. "The onna's out for blood."  
  
There was a general cry of welcome from everyone and Goku found himself being hugged constantly. He tried to answer the questions of Kuririn and Yamucha as they tried to catch up on several month's worth of news in thirty seconds, but found his attention tugged in the direction of a glowering woman named Buruma. He flinched before he could stop himself and Kuririn felt it.  
  
"Hey, Goku, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." He turned away and smiled at him. It was a poor version of his usual beaming grin, but it was enough to make his friend smile back. "Nothing at all."  
  
Taking a seat on the sofa between Gohan and Kuririn, he watched Vegeta step in the room, his breath catching in his throat. He had never truly realized how incredibly sexy his mate was when he had an "untouchable" aura around him. Thoughts of making the small, yet formidable man beg for release swept through his mind, unbidden, and he felt himself hardening almost immediately.  
  
"Otousan," Gohan began, leaning slightly closer to peer into his flushed face, "is there something wrong?" His son, always receptive to ChiChi's parenting skills, had been molded into the perfect successful ningen. Nevermind that he was also half Saiya-jin, she'd trained him well enough that he could repress every instinct and impulse that wasn't typically associated with the human race with relative ease. After Majin Buu's defeat, Gohan had sworn off fighting altogether and no one could convince him to break his rule. As a sort of apology to the little boy he'd abandoned when he gave his life during the Cell Games, Goku had trained little Pan from age two onward to the point that she was several times stronger and faster than Gohan had been at her age. She was also far more in touch with her Saiya-jin side than her father even though he had more alien blood than she possessed.  
  
"Uh, iie." His voice was a touch on the shaky side but it was passable. "So, son, how has your life been going?"  
  
As Gohan began to talk about his career as a comparative religion professor, he could distantly feel both amusement and a lust that threatened to undo him entirely. It had a distinctly Vegeta-like feel to it, but how he knew that he had no idea. Now that he thought about it, however, there had been thoughts and emotions flitting around inside of him that didn't seem to belong to him. They were foreign, yet completely familiar at the very same time. Goku wondered if there were  _a lot_  of things Vegeta didn't know about the Changes, especially if they involved the sufferer's perfect match.  
  
' _Vegeta, I want to take you home and give you pleasure you until you forget your own name._ ,' he thought to himself.  
  
' _And I'll gladly let you,_ ' was the heat-filled reply.  
  
Holy shit.  
  
He could hear him,  _really_  hear him. It wasn't merely a figment of his imagination. He wasn't going insane. The look on his mate's face across the room made it perfectly clear that he could hear his thoughts and that he was just as turned on by what he was thinking.  
  
' _Did you-_ '  
  
' _Iie._ '  
  
' _So there are going to be more surprises?_ '  
  
' _Probably. Can you handle it, Kakarotto?_ '  
  
' _Oh, definitely. Can you?_ ' Vegeta gave him a look of utter confidence that made him smirk in response.  
  
"Videl told me that something was going on with you." Goku heard his son say. The words were like a bucket of ice water being poured over his head. His arousal was effectively doused and his attention was riveted on Gohan once more.  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"Not enough, that's for sure. When I asked her to give me more information, she just said to 'wait until the party'. Well, the party has finally arrived and I would like a few answers. You look fine to me."  
  
That was the moment that Buruma announced that dinner was now being served. More grateful to her than he'd been in a long while, Goku joined the others as the hostess led the way to the dining room.  
  


***

  
Everyone arranged themselves around the table, Goku and Vegeta both annoyed that they couldn't sit beside each other without arousing suspicion. Trunks and Bura flanked their father because no one else was willing to sit next to him save for Pan and Goten. The two young Sons sat beside their respective best friends. Gohan sat next to his father, Videl on his other side. Kuririn sat on Goku's other side, his wife next to him. Buruma sat at the head of the table. Marron and Yamucha both randomly picked a chair and there were still two remaining.  
  
"Where's Kamesennin and Piccolo?" Kuririn asked the hostess.  
  
"The old letch called and said he was on his way. I don't know where Piccolo is."  
  
"He's coming," Goku said. "I can feel him." A moment later the doorbell rang.  
  
An irritated Namek-jin who definitely didn't look happy to be there stepped into the room and removed his cloak and turban before taking the seat beside Pan. "I still don't know why I agreed to this," he muttered. "I can live my life just fine without visiting you people."  
  
"Piccolo-san, it's still nice to see you." Gohan smiled at him and it caused the green giant to melt just like it had when Gohan was a kid.  
  
"Let's get started, shall we?" Buruma said brightly. "Roshi will come eventually." Picking up a small silver bell from beside her plate, she lifted it into the air and summoned the caterers. Men and women clad in crisp white shirts and black pants entered the room from the door that led to the kitchen with serving trays. They placed everything on the large table, bowed, and departed. Two more servers then entered with bottles of champagne for the adults and soda for Bura and Pan.  
  
"Itadakimasu![2]" Buruma said.  
  
"Itadakimasu!" Everyone else echoed.  
  
And so the dinner party began. Goku thought it was nice to catch up with his friends, but everything was shadowed by an underlying tension, though some of them had no idea what it was about. Buruma was constantly shooting him and Vegeta dirty looks and Gohan was definitely starting to notice. He carefully fielded his son's questions while mentally cursing Buruma to the best of his ability.  
  
' _It doesn't matter what they think. I have people who will care about me regardless of who I'm in a relationship with._ ' Unfortunately, his mental pep talk fell far short of its goal.  
  
' _You need to calm down. How about you and I play a little game?_ ' Goku's eyes focused on his mate who was sipping from his champagne flute. ' _First person to admit defeat wins._ '  
  
' _I probably shouldn't agree to this, knowing your mind as well as I do, but alright. What are the rules?_ '  
  
' _There aren't very many. The object of the game is to arouse your opponent as much as possible to the point of climax. Maybe even to the point beyond. You can use mental speech, physical movement, looks, whatever. The only limit to this is that no one can say anything out loud. We don't want to scandalize our fellow diners, do we?_ ' But, judging by emotion Goku could feel from him, he would get a big kick out of horrifying the others at the table. He was sure that Goten and Trunks would think it was funny, but wasn't sure about Pan or Bura. He didn't even know if they were old enough to understand the concept of sex let alone humor related to it.  
  
' _Believe me, 'geta, those girls are more aware than you think._ '  
  
He chose to ignore that remark for the sake of preserving the innocent mental images he had of both girls. ' _Ready, Kakarotto?_ '  
  
' _Bring it on._ '  
  
For a moment, Goku was at a loss. And more than a little embarrassed. But Vegeta's voice in his head did two things: it instantly made him hard and it caused his competitive spirit to emerge.  
  
' _How long has it been since you've felt my dick in your ass, Kakarotto? A few days? You're definitely long past due to bottom for me._ '  
  
' _Why should I bottom when you like to be, uh, fucked so much?_ ' His face flamed. ' _It's true that I like to feel you inside of me, but you turn into a, um, slut whenever you see what's between my legs. How can I pass up a chance to make you scream?_ ' He could feel the heat in his face spread beneath his shirt collar. Just thinking about what they got up to in the privacy of their bedroom while surrounded by his friends and family embarrassed the hell out of him.  
  
"Sorry I'm late!" Roshi said as he entered the room. His abrupt entrance did much to calm Goku down. When he was sure that no one was watching, Vegeta smirked evilly and licked his fingers. He had actually started sucking on them when Roshi sat down in the last remaining seat.  
  
"Hey, Otousan?" Gohan began. "Why are you staring at Vegeta-san?"  
  
He blinked and realized that Vegeta was eating as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. It was then that Goku realized that he would lose the contest no matter how badly he wanted to win. Vegeta was just too good at hiding his emotions, too good at causing him to ache with lust.  
  
  
But that didn't mean he would go down without a fight.  
  
"Oh, he looks sort of different tonight, that's all." He smiled weakly and returned his external attention to his plate. But internally, he was waging a war upon Vegeta's senses.  
  
' _I'm kissing you, Vegeta, my tongue is deep inside of your mouth, sliding alongside your own. My arms are around you, my hands sliding down your back to stroke your ass._ '  
  
There was a mental "hitch" before Vegeta responded in kind. ' _My hands are already on_  your  _ass, Kakarotto, and my fingers are playing in your crack._ '  
  
His breathing was speeding up and he wanted nothing more than to leap across the table, grab Vegeta, and head toward the nearest room with a bed. The only thing he could do was allow his left hand to drop beneath the table in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the pressure in his body. Of course, caressing himself only served to make it worse.  
  
' _I penetrate you with my finger,_ ' Vegeta continued when Goku didn't think a word, ' _and swallow your moan. My other hand moves around to the front of your body and grabs hold of your cock and slides slowly upward from base to tip._  
  
' _I slide my tongue under your jaw and down your neck, hitting that special spot you love so much before continuing to your chest. My lips wrap around your erect left nipple and I suck on it, occasionally using my teeth to tease you. While this is happening, my hand hasn't stopped stroking you and you are now close to the point of no return._ '  
  
Not realizing that Goten and Trunks were staring at him with twin expressions of amazement, Goku squeezed himself hard, thinking that the pain would stop himself from coming. But it didn't work. With a soft, but deep groan, he unloaded in his shorts. The last thing he saw before his eyes slid shut of their own accord was Vegeta's smug face.  
  
' _Never challenge a master, Kakarotto,_ ' he told him, ' _especially when just_  thinking  _about sex makes you blush._ '  
  
When he'd recovered and had resumed his meal thinking that no one was the wiser, he told his mate. ' _Just wait until we get home later tonight. You're not going to be able to sit down without squirming when I'm through with you._ '  
  
The passion he felt coming from Vegeta was nearly enough to revive his spent manhood. ' _Oh, I'm looking forward to that. We can make a night of it. What is our personal best? Four hours? Five?_ '  
  
' _Hai, somewhere around there._ ' He looked fondly upon that night, but they'd been so sore afterward it had almost not been worth it. Discreetly, he excused himself to the bathroom so that he could attend to the semen that was quickly turning cold in his underwear, Vegeta's laughter echoing inside his head. In retaliation, Goku sent him an image of him pressed up against a wall, a position they had yet to try, and received a grunt in return.  
  
After the deserts were brought out, and everyone seemed to be stuffed, Buruma suggested that they return to the living room for "after dinner entertainment". Goku didn't know what Buruma's version of that would be, but knowing for a fact that he wouldn't like it.  
  
The group arranged themselves in the living room. Buruma, Videl, and Juuhachi-gou sat on the sofa as if they were judges. Trunks and Goten shared the love seat that sat perpendicular to it with Bura and Pan sitting on the floor opposite them on the other side of the coffee table. Everyone else took the remaining chairs or chose to sit on the floor until the only two people standing were Goku and Vegeta. The large Saiya-jin inched closer to his mate and didn't stop himself from taking his hand. There were a few gasps from those who could see it, namely Gohan and Kuririn.  
  
"Did you and your two buddies decide that we need to be on trial?" Vegeta asked, not the least bit amused about the entire situation. He could feel the tension in Goku's hand, could feel his fear like a pulse in the back of his head. Once he'd realized that Goku was his mate, it was like every bad thing that had happened in their shared history was completely disregarded in favor of making sure that Goku was taken care of. He remembered clearly that first morning after they'd consummated the bond: in the shower he'd argued back and forth with himself about entering into a relationship with a man whose very presence had only served to piss him off for so many years. When it all came down to it, nothing else mattered beyond pleasing his mate. They were stuck together forever: for better or worse, for richer or poorer (and maybe even beyond death). He might as well make the best of it.  
  
"If you want to call this a trial then go ahead," Buruma replied. "However, I consider it more of an attempt to save Goku's soul from further corruption."  
  
He couldn't help it, he laughed. Loudly. The entire situation was just plain absurd. Save Kakarotto's soul from corruption? If anyone had been altered significantly by the mating, it would be him. The "baka" was just the same as always. It was he that felt as if he would burst into song at any moment like an actor in a corny old musical. At the same time it made him feel strong, invincible, like if he could just love Kakarotto a little bit more that he could handle anything that came his way. "Onna, you are a bigger baka than Kakarotto and that's saying a lot."  
  
"Hey!" Goku protested. The gentle squeeze his hand received was enough to make him forgive.  
  
"We are together," he announced. "I could go into more detail and say that we are lovers, but I doubt you want to hear that." He grinned evilly when he saw Yamucha wince at his bluntness. "Kakarotto and I are the only two full-blooded Saiya-jin left in the universe so I think it's fitting that we ended up together, but even if Vegeta-sei still existed, and there were millions of people like us, we would have still become a couple."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Kuririn asked him, honestly curious.  
  
"Because it was fated," he shrugged. "Only he is able to complete me. Only I am able to complete him. No one else would ever be enough for either of us."  
  
The entire time Vegeta spoke, Gohan's expression had grown darker and darker. Finally, he couldn't take anymore. "What do you have to say about this, Otousan? Are you really that far under his spell?"  
  
This was the moment Goku had been dreading since he first joined with Vegeta. His son would never understand. ChiChi had done too good of a job brainwashing him for those seven years that he was dead. Gohan not only looked like a ningen, but he also acted and thought exactly like one to the point that he rejected everything that was "alien". There was just no way that things could go well that night. The large Saiya-jin took a deep breath that shook slightly as he exhaled in preparation for the uncomfortable conversation that was to come.  
  
"He didn't trick me, or brainwash me, or hurt me in any way. I willingly consented to be his."  
  
"His?" Gohan's voice rose sharply. "Like his  _pet_?"  
  
Things were definitely not going well at all.  
  
"I'm as much his as you are Videl's. As much as one person can belong to another consensually. Why is it so hard to understand that I love him?"  
  
Furious, Gohan jumped up and stormed over. "Because it's not right! Because he's a man! Because he's a cold-blooded murdering bastard!"  
  
"Watch yourself, gaki[3]," Vegeta said in a low, dangerous voice. He started to say more, but Goku stopped him with just a look.  
  
"You are my son, and I love you, but there is only so much you can say about Vegeta before I step forward to defend him."  
  
"So you care more about him than you do about me?"  
  
Goku hesitated, his face miserable. "Please don't make me choose between the two of you."  
  
"That's it, then. You love him more than you love me." Gohan made a disgusted sound and added, "I should have figured out that you didn't care when you didn't come back after Cell killed you. When you abandoned Goten and I in favor of playing around in the afterlife." Goten looked a little startled at being dragged into the conflict and moved closer to Trunks as if the lavender-haired demi-Saiya-jin could shield him from the hostility.  
  
Gohan glared at his brother for what he perceived to be betrayal and then proceeded to drop the bomb. "From this point onward, I have no father." He left the room, leaving complete silence in his wake. Videl jumped up and, after apologizing to Buruma, ran after her husband.  
  
Goku was unnaturally pale. He swayed on his feet and would have fallen if Vegeta hadn't been there to catch him. "Are you happy now, onna?" Vegeta asked, furious. He gently steered his mate over to the nearest chair and tried to rouse Goku from his stupor. "Kakarotto, come back to me. Everything will be alright."  
  
Dark eyes blinked once, twice, and Goku whispered, "He hates me. My son hates me." The grief in his voice broke everyone's heart. "How could he say that to me? How could he be angry that I'm happy?"  
  
"He doesn't understand, but that's not his fault. He was young when his mother made him feel bad about himself and taught him that it was wrong to be different. I'm sorry that I wasn't a better person back then. I could have talked to him, made sure that he knew that it was okay to be himself."  
  
"You helped Goten, Vegeta." His smile was shaky around the edges, but it was still a smile. "I don't blame you for the way that Gohan has turned out." He sighed and pushed himself to his feet. Goku felt as if he had aged a thousand years in just ten minutes.  
  
"It's been... interesting, Buruma," he said. "Be seeing you." He then took Vegeta's hand and teleported them both back to his home in East District.  
  
Buruma Briefs looked around the room, noting the various expressions on the faces of her guests. For the most part, they looked pissed off. At her. There was also no little amount of disgust, also directed at her. She smiled with cheer that she sure as hell didn't feel and said, "Tea, anyone?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] = I love you  
> [2] = "let's eat!" or "thank you for the meal!" or "let's enjoy the meal!", etc.  
> [3] = brat
> 
> I'm still not entirely satisfied with the way this chapter turned out, but it'll do, I guess. I also took your suggestion, Anon, and tried to add more of Vegeta's feelings into this chapter. Also, for all those annoyed by my Japanese usage, in the second movement I don't use it as much. I guess I was trying to imitate Aja's Gravitation series and it didn't quite work out since everyone liked her Japanese usage and cultural references. I believe that it's because more people are used to the Gravi sub than they are to the dub and with Dragon Ball it's the other way around.


	7. Technical Difficulties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The farther I get into this story, the more aware I become of the possibility of annoying a few people. As I posted the last chapter, I said to myself, "If chapter six doesn't earn me flames then chapter seven will." On that happy note, I present to you chapter seven.

_"I'll have you know that I'm a good pilot and a good warrior. I may be a girl, but that doesn't mean I'm weak and incompetent." - Chelsia_  
  
  
It had taken so long for Goku to fall asleep that night. Vegeta had held him in his arms and whispered nonsensical words into his ear until he'd finally relaxed around three a.m. If someone had told him just last week that he was going to care so much about a man who had bested him at everything he'd ever tried to achieve for himself, he would have laughed in their face right before he killed them for having the audacity to say such a ridiculous thing. But now... Now, a small smile disguised as a smirk would probably be the only thing he gave in response.  
  
In the morning, Vegeta lay there and watched his mate sleep, something he usually couldn't do since Goku usually got up with the sun. He couldn't say that he was angelic when unconscious, but he was definitely endearing. But this morning, there were tiny little furrows between his eyebrows and the muscles in his face were taut with emotional pain. He caressed his check and sighed heavily.  
  
What the hell were they going to do now?  
  
Goku wasn't going to give up on his son, he knew that without a doubt. Gohan was his flesh and blood, his firstborn. Their relationship had been close from the day he was born, though it had gone through a temporary upheaval due to Goku's death during the Cell Games. What Vegeta was afraid of the most was that the gentle Saiya-jin would let his son destroy him completely and just give in to his demands in a desperate attempt to win back his affection. Vegeta didn't want to end up going into bond withdrawal. He didn't want  _Goku_  to go into bond withdrawal. He may not know much about the Changes or bonds or the nuances of being Saiya-jin, but he  _did_ know that going into any kind of withdrawal wasn't a good thing. He also knew that he couldn't live without Goku and didn't want to try.  
  
In the very back of his mind, in a place that he'd started to consider "Kakarotto's Spot", he felt the mind of the man beside him began to stir. As he did so, the psychic channel or line or whatever connecting the two of them had opened. Vegeta knew that Goku either couldn't, or wouldn't, control the flow of emotion and thoughts coming from him, but he discovered that he didn't really mind and would sometimes allow his end of the link to open. In any case, it made things easier to just let his mate feel what he was thinking instead of forcing himself to articulate his thoughts aloud.  
  
Large dark eyes blinked sleepily up at him, the worry wrinkles smoothing almost immediately. If anything, Goku looked befuddled as if the transition from slumber to wakefulness had left him feeling disoriented. "Ohayo, 'geta-chan," he smiled. "It's nice waking up beside you." Vegeta didn't say a word, but the pleasure he felt filled Goku's body gently. The small Saiya-jin stretched out beside him -- actually, half on top of him (his favorite relaxed position) -- and tucked his head beneath his chin.  
  
' _I'm bored, Kakarotto._ ' And he was. Things had settled down so much since the defeat of Majin Buu that he almost wished that someone would show up on Chikyuu and try to kill them all again. ' _How have you been able to stay so content?_ '  
  
A mental snort. ' _I'm not content, I just hide it better than you do. The same wild blood runs through my veins, 'geta. I get antsy all the time._ '  
  
' _What are we going to do about it?_ ' He also really wanted to know what he could do to distract Goku from the oncoming depression when he realized that Gohan wasn't going to talk to him again without his father sacrificing something important. Namely, a "something" named Vegeta.  
  
' _Well, you're the brains of this outfit,_ ' he joked.  
  
Vegeta became very serious. The emotion that touched Goku was that of regret. ' _I should have never called you a baka in the first place. You have far more intelligence than anyone gives you credit for._ '  
  
' _Ah, 'geta, you don't have to apologize. When you call me a "baka", I think of it as a pet name. I know you don't really mean it._ ' He wiggled down until he could kiss him comfortably. ' _Anymore anyway. Ai shiteru, Vegeta._ '  
  
' _Ai... shiteru, Kakarotto._ ' Goku grinned. He started to roll Vegeta over onto his back to initiate unusually gentle lovemaking, when something caught his attention. His head jerked up from where it had been nuzzling Vegeta's cheek and his eyes snapped open, though their vision was turned inward.  
  
"Kakarotto, what are you-" Then he was able to sense it as well. When it came down to sensing ki[1], Goku was far better than anyone else on Chikyuu.  
  
"Someone's in trouble. Somewhat high ki level, being chased by a small group of someones with even higher ki levels." In an instant he was on his feet and picking up a pair of pants from the floor. Vegeta followed him as quickly as he could, but couldn't find his other boot. Goku found it under a chair and tossed it to him. "Their ship is dropping quickly to the ground. At that speed and height there's no way they can survive the impact."  
  
"Without help," he added, grabbing a hold of his mate's arm.  
  
"Iie, not without help." He placed his index and middle fingers to his forehead and locked onto the ki that was rising rapidly in panic. The bedroom around them faded out to be replaced by the cold steel of a ship in an instant. From the looks of things, they were in a narrow passageway.  
  
"Where is-?" Vegeta started to ask, then he heard loud cursing coming from the doorway nearest to him. "Nevermind."  
  
Just as he took a step towards the door, the ship shuddered and nearly threw him off his feet. Goku grabbed him around the waist before he could topple over and wrenched open the door to the cockpit.  
  
Everything was in darkness, the only light coming from the console. A small figure cloaked in dark shadows was struggling with the controls, trying to right the ship and regain control of it to ensure a safe landing. Wispy clouds flew past the window at a startling pace, made dark gray from lack of sunlight. Goku trudged his way over to the struggling pilot and asked, "Need some help?"  
  
The person jerked and spun around. Bright purple eyes widened at the sight of him and Vegeta standing there, only taking a moment to wonder how they were able to get inside the ship, before nodding emphatically. "Those Naghani bastards blew a hole in my ship. Don't know how they caught up to me." When the pilot stood, Goku noticed that he was swathed in several layers of colorful fabric that looked like robes. He shrugged and motioned for the him to take hold of him.  
  
"It might be a little disorienting, but it'll get you out of here."  
  
"Wait a second!" the pilot said suddenly. "I have to save it! He'll kill me if I don't." Before either Saiya-jin could utter a word, he was off. Vegeta cursed, and Goku rolled his eyes, and then they were quickly following him.  
  
Without the pilot at the controls, the ship was slowly starting to list to one side. Soon it was tilted at a forty-five degree angle and the two Saiya-jin were struggling to make their way down the hall.  
  
"Is this worth it?" Vegeta bitched. "Really, is this worth it?"  
  
"Of course it's worth it! Saving someone's life is  _always_  worth it." He gave his mate a pointed look when he said the last part, which caused him to close his mouth tightly.  
  
The pilot returned carrying a bulging knapsack. By this time, the ship had completed its quarter barrel roll and was now falling on its side which meant that the floor was now a wall and a wall was now the floor. Goku had a feeling that it would be finishing the rest of the half roll very soon and finish upside down which meant that they should probably get out before it happened.  
  
Oh, and hitting the ground probably wouldn't be a good thing, either.  
  
"Grab on to me," Goku instructed. The pilot jumped at the chance to do so. Goku locked onto Goten's ki, not used to moving more than one person without using someone as a signal, and teleported. It wasn't anytime too soon, either, because thirty seconds after he did so, the ship fell into the ocean.  
  
"I owe you big time," the pilot said as he dropped his bag on the floor in the living room. "I thought that I'd escaped a bloody death at home only to meet it when I went for help." His hands, encased by black leather gloves, came up and began to unwind the cloth wrapped around his head. As more and more of it was peeled away, thick blonde hair was exposed only to fall forward into his eyes. The hands moved downward to remove his flight clothing and Goku roused himself long enough to ask if he wanted something to eat or drink.  
  
He smiled gratefully. "Oh, thanks. Water would be fine, and you choose the food. I'm not up to date on local customs."  
  
Vegeta joined Goku in the kitchen to have a "serious" discussion about their guest. "What are we going to do with the kid?"  
  
"First off, we'll listen to what he has to say and then decide." Goku opened the refrigerator where he proceeded to pull out bread, cheese, meat, mustard, mayonnaise, and other things to make sandwiches. It was about the only thing he  _could_  make reliably besides instant ramen, but luckily Vegeta was a good cook. They returned to the living room with drinks and a platter of food only to discover that the boy they'd left had become a girl. Her hair was shaggy and hung down to mid-back and her body was slender and boyish without all of the extra clothing covering her. Underneath everything, she wore a gray tank top and loose black pants.  
  
She smiled in amusement and finished folding her clothes. "What are you two gawking at?"  
  
"Who sent a little girl like you for help?" Vegeta asked, grabbing his glass and taking a long drink from it. The pilot glared at him and grabbed a glass of her own.  
  
"I'll have you know that I'm a good pilot and a good warrior. I may be a girl, but that doesn't mean I'm weak and incompetent." She said this in a way that indicated she'd had to say it a lot and was damn tired of doing so. Sighing, she leaned back against the couch. "But I'm not very high in rank. If most everyone else wasn't already dead, I wouldn't have been given a second thought when it came to the assignment of such an important mission."  
  
Goku sat down next to her and offered his hand in greeting. "I'm Goku, this is Vegeta. You are?"  
  
"Chelsia, Class C pilot and Class B soldier of the Linaga Federal Army." She started to say more but the rumbling of her stomach interrupted. Blushing, she grabbed a sandwich and nibbled at it. Finding it good, she starting taking huge bites out of it, barely stopping to breathe. The three of them dined in silence until she finally sat back, full.  
  
"It's been so long since I've had enough to eat," she told them, patting her stomach happily. "To repay you, I'm going to answer any questions you have about me. Within reason, of course. I can't go and give  _everything_  away, now can I?"  
  
Smirking, Vegeta said, "I don't think you have enough rank to know any secrets."  
  
"I may not rank very high, but my family's prominent. I've attended more shallow social functions and sat in on more boring meetings that I can count. I've heard a lot because they often forget that I'm around." Chelsia grinned, then sobered as she thought of home. "That all may be at an end, though, since the Naghani attacked us and killed so many people.  
  
"I don't know what set them off, not really. Our government isn't the best so they might have angered them somehow. But even if that was so, don't you think it's only fair to stop when it becomes obvious that your enemy can't fight back anymore?" She desperately looked at the two of them, begging them to agree with her.  
  
Goku was all set to say, "Yes, of course" but Vegeta didn't exactly agree. "It depends on what they'd done to piss them off in the first place. Would you allow someone to live if they'd done atrocious things?"  
  
"No, I wouldn't, but to kill off an entire race of people because of the actions of a small group of them isn't right."  
  
"I know it isn't, but it's normal." His mate was mentally berating him, but he refused to apologize for speaking his mind. To appease him, he asked Chelsia if there was anything they could do to help her.  
  
The girl began to smile. "Do you have access to an army willing to travel for several weeks to reach my home planet?"  
  
"No, but, then again, the two of us are all you'll need." Vegeta decided he would let her think about that one for a moment. Leaving the room, he went to wake up Goten. If left to his own devices, the young man wasn't likely to get up before one or two in the afternoon.  
  
Goku chatted with Chelsia for a little while, just long enough for Goten and his mate to each have a shower and get dressed. Then he excused himself to have his own turn in the bathroom. Goten couldn't stop staring at the girl, which caused her to blush.  
  
"Do you like her, boy?" Vegeta asked suddenly, liking the way his eyes grew very large when he realized that he'd been caught. "It's okay if you do, but I think a certain someone will be disappointed."  
  
He blinked. "Who are you talking about, Vegeta-san?"  
  
"Nothing. Just forget I said anything."  
  
"Um, are you three the only ones who live here?" Chelsia was obviously embarrassed to ask this, judging by the red tint in her cheeks. "Where are all the females?" In her culture, most adult men were either married or living at home with their mothers or sisters like they were unable to care for themselves. She, personally, thought it was ridiculous, but she still couldn't deny that she expected things to be that way everywhere she traveled.  
  
"Well, my mother's gone," Goten explained with a twinge of sadness. It was still painful to think about, and the circumstances surrounding her death didn't make it any easier. "And my father's, well..."  
  
"His father's quite happy living with his mate," Vegeta took over. "Which is me."  
  
"Oh." Then she thought about it and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh! So you were never married?"  
  
"No, I wasn't. I have no inclination to go through the ceremony. Buruma and I were never that close, and Kakarotto and I aren't human. We don't need a ritual to bind us together."  
  
"I understand," she said, but it was clear that she didn't. "So, you're really going to help me all by yourselves?"  
  
"Sure!" Goten piped up. "I'll help, too, and so will Trunks. He can never pass up a fight." The young man jumped out of his seat and went to grab the phone. "I'll call him right now and tell him the news. I also should probably tell him that we'll need a ship."  
  
"That's right," Vegeta said. "We  _do_  need a ship." He looked extremely annoyed at the thought of having to acquire a ship somehow, especially when Buruma was the resident mechanical genius and they were currently not on speaking terms. Trunks was just as good with machines, especially considering the fact that he'd gone to college and obtained an engineering degree, but it would still take a while with only one person working on the internal systems even with everyone's help to assemble it.  
  
"Trunks said he'll be over in about an hour," Goten said as he returned. "He also said that he'll bring spaceship blueprints. Capsule Corp. has been doing a few prototypes for several space organizations."  
  
Chelsia was so excited she was bouncing in her seat. "That's wonderful! How long do you think the preparations will take?" Neither man would look at her. She deflated immediately and stared at Goten. "That long?"  
  
"Well, a ship will probably have to be built, but it's been done before. Not by Trunks, but it's been done."  
  
Within an hour, Chelsia looked as if she was at home. She'd bounced from conversation to conversation, discussing cultural differences with Goten and fighting with Goku and Vegeta. By the time Trunks had shown up, she was almost able to forget her near-death experience earlier in the day.  
  
"Ohayo," Trunks greeted. He carried with him several rolls of paper and a laptop. These things he sat down on the coffee table before disappearing momentarily into the kitchen for something to drink. "I've been looking over the schematics, and I think I have an idea, but I want to learn more about our mission."  
  
"Well, my planet was several weeks away for me, and I flew vehicle in the fastest class we have. It was able to make a hyperspace jump in sixty seconds."  
  
The four Saiya-jin exchanged glances. "Hyperspace jump?" Trunks asked. "How long would it take without the jump?"  
  
"Oh, several months, I think."  
  
"Damn," Trunks muttered. "I don't think they  _have_  several months." He sighed and picked up the computer. "You wouldn't happen to understand the technology that gives a ship hyperspace capabilities, do you? We currently haven't achieved that level of knowledge here. Hell, we've barely figured out how to reach half the speed of light." He tapped the machine several times, chewing his lip as he did so. "But maybe, just maybe, if we use a fusion drive..."  
  
They tuned him out when he began to mutter to himself in a language that was beyond the grasp of the rest of them. As time wore on, Chelsia began to look more and more depressed. She'd come so far in search of strong people using a device built into the ship that was now lying on the bottom of an ocean only to discover that she had absolutely no way to take them back to her dying people. The thought of being the only person to survive planetary genocide was a lonely one, indeed.  
  
Goten graciously offered their guest the use of his room, then realized that it was next door to his father's and instantly regretted it. Luckily, she said that she was fine on the couch.  
  
That night, after everyone had gone to bed, she lay awake wondering how everyone was faring back home. Had they found a chink in the armor of the Naghani, one that they could successfully exploit and use to turn the tide of the war?  
  
Had they all been lied to by the king and his closest advisors about the real reason they were attacking in the first place?  
  
Her mind and body were both exhausted, but Chelsia found that sleep that night was a long time in coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] = life energy, the same thing as "chi"


	8. The Limits of Human Technology

_"Helping people out is kind of what we do." - Trunks_  
  
  
Early the next morning Trunks returned. He let himself in the house and was pouring himself a glass of juice when Chelsia noticed that he was there. She froze in the doorway between the kitchen and living room and stared at him in shock, but she didn't scream and was very proud of herself for not doing so.  
  
"Do you always do this?" she asked curiously as she also got something to drink.  
  
"Hai. Goten and I have known each other since we were little kids. Usually he's always at my house, but lately my mother's been pretty pissed off so we decided that I'd better come over here." He sat down across the table from her. "It must be pretty rough knowing that so many people are counting on you."  
  
"Well, me and three others, actually. We all went off in different directions and I hope one of them found someone and will be back before I get there. I think I traveled out the farthest." She stared down at the table, hoping that the young man nearby didn't notice the tears forming in her eyes. "I also hope that there will be people still left when I return."  
  
"On the bright side, I have an idea. We might just be able to get you back home in fewer than eight weeks if I take a few of the ideas people have been tossing around lately and make them reality. There will be a few trials, of course, just to make sure that everything's safe, but the entire process should take no more than a week. In no time at all you can see your home again."  
  
She was happy, and she tried to smile, but it trembled around the edges. "I don't know how to repay you. This is far more than most people do for strangers."  
  
"Helping people out is kind of what we do," he assured her. Patting her shoulder gently, he left the room.  
  
Chelsia sat in the dark kitchen, sipping her juice, happy that everyone seemed to be sincere, but also half afraid that everything would come tumbling down.  
  


***

  
"I loaded several blueprints into the computer and I modified a few of them to suit our needs. So far, Ship C seems to be the best, but Ship B would do in a pinch..."  
  
While Trunks, Chelsia, and Vegeta stared avidly at the monitor, Goten and Goku were bored beyond belief. They couldn't understand most of what Trunks was saying, so they'd tuned him out somewhat early on. Now, the two of them sat at a small table in the corner and chatted idly.  
  
"Was Vegeta right?" Goku asked in the middle of a conversation about pizza toppings.  
  
Goten blinked at him while his brain switched gears. "Huh?"  
  
"About Chelsia. Do you like her?"  
  
Blushing, he muttered, "I think she's attractive, yeah, but that might be because she's so androgynous." He was proud of himself for remembering the word. "Didn't you say that you and Vegeta-san thought she was a boy at first?"  
  
"So, if Chelsia really was a boy, would you want to date her?" His cheeks flamed. "Ah ha. Goten, there's nothing wrong with dating boys. I used to think that it was strange that someone would want to be with someone else of the same sex, but you can't help who you like. I feel more strongly about Vegeta than I ever felt about your mother. For the most part, we're equals. He's learned not to underestimate me."  
  
"Okay, so maybe I don't mind the thought of liking another male. But this is sort of complicated."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"It's Trunks, Tousan. We've always been close and I don't want to ruin our relationship if he doesn't like me the way that I like him."  
  
He smiled, but it confused his son. Goku knew that he would have no problem taking their relationship a step further. In fact, he'd always thought that Vegeta's son and his youngest were a perfect match. "Well, you have a few options. One: you could do nothing. This way you wouldn't lose him as a friend, but you might lose the chance to have him as a lover. Two: you could show or explain to him how you feel. You might lose a friend but, then again, your relationship with him might grow even deeper. Three: you can have someone else test the waters and see what his reaction is before  _you_  talk to him."  
  
Goten nodded and thought about it. He couldn't imagine life without Trunks by his side and had felt horrible those few times his friend had gone out on dates with other people. He himself had never been able to do so because he felt like he was betraying a young man who had no idea how he really felt about him. "I can't just pretend that I'm alright with just being friends, Tousan, I just can't."  
  
"Then pick the time you think is best and let him know. I had an excuse; if Vegeta hadn't gone into heat I might not have ever told him how I felt about him."  
  
He couldn't help it, he blushed again. "Please don't mention that again."  
  
"What? The Second Change?" He chuckled. "You do know that it's only a few years until I go through that, right?"  
  
"Tousan!" He buried his head into his arms, unable to look at him any longer.  
  
"Well, it's the truth. Luckily we have more information to go on and my mate is already right by my side. I don't know what would have happened to Vegeta if he and I had never met, and I'm afraid to think about it."  
  
Vegeta's voice startled Goten (whose back was to the others). "Oi! What are you doing to the boy over there, Kakarotto?"  
  
"Oh, nothing..." He smiled serenely while explaining to his mate mentally what they'd talked about. Vegeta snorted and said something to the effect that both their sons were wasting valuable time and Goku agreed wholeheartedly.  
  
Around one o'clock, Trunks and Chelsia took a break. In the time they spent studying plans and making alterations, no one else had entered the lab. Trunks explained that they were in one of the smaller, older labs that no one save him used anymore. Buruma had long since graduated to a larger space and the official Capsule Corporation labs were on the other side of the building. So he'd appropriated it for his own use and people seemed to respect that.  
  
As a group, they decided to head downtown and find a nice restaurant. It was risky dining in the Capsule Corp. with the possibility of Buruma finding Goku and Vegeta in her home. She was still just as angry as she'd been a few days before -- in fact, she seemed to be three times as angry. It was as if she blamed them for gaining the sympathy of most of their friends and family and turning her into the Wicked Bitch of the East. Of course, the fact that she hated to be wrong about anything played a large role in her anger.  
  
So when the group bumped into her on their way out the door, an inevitable argument ensued.  
  
"Why are you in my house?" she asked heatedly, a scowl on her face. "I don't want you here! Trunks, get away from them."  
  
Everyone stared at her, most of them thinking that she'd lost her mind. Chelsia simply thought that she was a very angry woman who should be avoided at all costs. "Kaasan, what are you talking about? This is Goku-san and Papa for Kami's sake!"  
  
"Your 'papa' is a man not to be trusted. And Goku proved to me recently that he shouldn't be trusted, either." She turned her back to them and started off in the opposite direction. "I want you both out of my house in five minutes or I'm calling the police."  
  
The small group watched her retreat. Goten and Trunks exchanged looks and simply shook their heads in incredulity; Chelsia, having been a little frightened, was quite happy when Buruma went away; Vegeta growled in anger, wishing that he could teach the "onna" a lesson and get away with it; and Goku looked as if his heart was breaking for a second time. All his mate could do to comfort him was wrap an arm around his waist and hold on.  
  
"There's not much you can do," he said softly. "The onna is as stubborn as a mule."  
  
"I don't care, 'geta, she's my friend. How many more people am I going to lose?" Vegeta could feel him intake a quick, rapid breath, and was astonished to see a lone tear carve a path down his cheek. Goku did a lot of things, but crying had never been one of them.  
  
So he just held him as long as was necessary, communicating through murmured words and soothing touches that he would always be there right by his side.  
  


***

  
Things progressed slowly as Trunks went to work on the fusion reactor. Chelsia led the others in the actual construction of the ship in the meantime so that no time was wasted and they were able to complete majority of it in half a week by working nearly non-stop. Goku and Vegeta didn't run into Buruma again, but, then again, they made sure to teleport in and out of the lab instead of walking through the house. Her hostility was something Goku could not endure without completely falling apart for a long time afterwards, which then caused him to question the nature of his relationship with Vegeta. That, in turn, made his overprotective mate angry to the point that he wanted nothing more to kill the mother of his children, not that it would have solved any of their problems. So, it was best for everyone involved if the two Saiya-jin went out of their way to avoid all contact with her.  
  
Trunks' trials were both a success as well as a failure. While it was good that he was able to construct an engine faster that anyone on Chikyuu had ever used before with a little help from a few scientists from Capsule Corp., it wasn't fast enough to get Chelsia home in under a month. As they all quietly let this sink in, Goten was struck with an idea.  
  
"What about her ship? Didn't Buruma-san and her otousan modify both Kami-sama's ship as well as Tousan's space pod into usable ships? They both had advanced technology that the people here hadn't seen before."  
  
His friend slapped him happily on the back. "Chibi, you're a genius! We'll just have to find where it crashed and haul it back here. Goku-san, do you know where you were when you saved her?"  
  
He shrugged. "Uh, iie. Gomen."  
  
"Papa?"  
  
"What do I look like, a global positioning system? I was just along for the ride. Kakarotto could have teleported to the North Pole and I wouldn't have ever realized it."  
  
The three youngsters deflated. "Oh," Chelsia whispered.  
  
"Do  _you_  know what you were over?" Trunks asked her gently.  
  
She shook her head. "I know it was a large body of water, but beyond that I have no clue. My systems were going haywire from the attack that hit me in the atmosphere." She stared at the floor for a few seconds before her head jerked up in fear. "Are they still out there? Did they land down here to search for me?"  
  
"Not that I know of," Goku said, "and my senses are pretty attuned to that sort of thing. If they weren't, I probably wouldn't have gotten to you in time."  
  
The thought of sinking into the depths of an ocean, her body never to be found, made Chelsia shiver. "I'm open to suggestions, guys. If it takes me three years to get back home, I still want to go. There might still be something left to save even then, you know?"  
  
"I'll do what I can," Trunks promised.  
  


***

  
Things didn't get better. Trunks continued to work almost non-stop on the ship's engines, but still could not get the technology up to the same level as Chelsia's old ship. Finding her spacecraft without a better starting point (instead of one that could be anywhere in roughly 78% of Chikyuu's total surface area) would be next to impossible. Goku tentatively proposed an idea of his own when he saw the devastated look on his new acquaintance's face. He could probably probe Chelsia's mind and find a place to teleport them to, but doing so might be dangerous enough that she refused to let him try. She wasn't too thrilled by the idea, but admitted that she would do it if there were no other options. The thought of being so vulnerable to someone, no matter how kind they were, scared her almost as much as the thought of losing her homeworld to the Naghani.  
  
Eventually, however, it became apparent that Goku's mental probe was the best chance they had to make it in time. Trunks was both physically and mentally exhausted from his research and labor only to realize that what they needed wouldn't be invented quickly enough. There was a limit to his knowledge and ability and he had finally reached it.  
  
"Thank you for all that you've done, Trunks. Just thinking about how much you were willing to help me cheers me up." Chelsia smiled at him, but it was filled with heart-wrenching sadness. She hugged him and stepped back quickly before the comforting feel of his arms around her caused the dam holding back a flood of tears to burst.  
  
"Please don't cry," Goku said somewhat desperately, seriously hoping that she didn't. He hated the helplessness and panic he always felt when someone was overwhelmed by emotion. "I'm going to see what I can do. Unfortunately, I've never teleported as far as your planet seems to be, but there's always a first time for everything." He grinned encouragingly and motioned her to sit down on the sofa in his living room. "She might be more comfortable if you guys weren't here while I do this."  
  
She looked hopefully at them. "Please?"  
  
As Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten filed into the kitchen, Goku kneeled in front of Chelsia and explained exactly how the process would work. "I've done this before so don't worry. Although, I was trying to extract memories instead of locking onto a specific place. But this should be a lot easier since you're going to help me."  
  
"What do I have to do?"  
  
"Focus on a place that you know is safe, or at least  _was_  safe when you left home. Think of how it looked in detail, how it felt to be there, how it smelled. The better you're able to recreate your experience there, the better the chance I have of getting us to the right place. Don't allow your mind to stray from it at all. I'm going to take us there by using the image in your mind and we'll see if everything's okay before taking the others along with us. Are you ready, Chelsia?"  
  
The young woman nodded, biting her lip slightly in nervousness. "Will I feel it?" She blushed and tried to voice her concern in a better way. "I mean, will it hurt?"  
  
"You shouldn't feel a thing. Just lean back and relax as much as you can. Remember to only think of the place you want us to visit or I might get confused."  
  
Goku went around to the back of the sofa and placed both his hands gently on her head. "Do you have a place in mind?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay, here we go." He closed his eyes and reached deeply for an ability he hadn't needed to use since Furiza was still alive.  
  
The instant his mind touched Chelsia's own, he was engulfed in all manner of sensations. He saw a large room encased in darkness except for soft orange light coming from a large fireplace that he knew sent warmth across his skin wherever it touched. An impressive desk of dark wood sat parallel to one wall covered in bookshelves that went all the way to the high ceiling. Two comfortable chairs with low backs and thin leather-covered wooden arms sat opposite a single high-backed chair of black leather while two more leather chairs sat before the fire, a furry rug covering the floor between.  
  
Above the mantel hung a large painting of a family of three: mother, father, and child. The woman, who sat in a chair, had long blonde hair that flowed around her face in soft waves, bright blue eyes, and a gentle smile. Behind her stood a tall man dressed in a green turban and matching tunic complete with a cape fastened around his shoulders with two golden buttons. The hair that descended below the head covering was black and he possessed startling purple eyes. He rested a hand on the woman's shoulder and gazed down at her and his child with a subtle adoring look.  
  
On the woman's lap sat a child of about three or four years with her mother's hair in two pigtails on either side of her head and her father's eyes. She wore a grin so large it threatened to split her face in two and a little blue dress with short puffy sleeves. The more Goku focused on the family portrait, the easier he could see Chelsia in the little girl.  
  
The words  _"My father's study"_  echoed through her mind and Goku mentally gave his approval. Removing one hand from Chelsia's head, he placed his index and middle fingers against his forehead. A moment later they were gone.


	9. A Change of Plans

_"Do you know how many nights you've caused me to wake up to sticky sheets?" - Goten to Trunks_  
  
  
The first thing Goku was aware of was intense cold. After that, he was too busy trying to draw air into his lungs to worry about getting frostbite. The feel of Chelsia shaking against him was all he needed to figure out that she was having the same problem.  
  
' _What is going on?_ ' Goku panicked as he frantically looked around for a clue. Everything was dark, so dark that couldn't see a thing. In the distance, however, there was faint light, but it was more of a reflection than anything else. Then he took a quick, closer look at his surroundings and realized that they should probably return to Chikyuu before they both asphyxiated.  
  
Linaga was no more.  
  
Grabbing tight to Chelsia, he locked on to Vegeta's raised ki level and removed them from the dangers of the vacuum of space. The sweet, sweet sensation of breathing made them lightheaded and they collapsed to their knees upon the living room floor, coughing harshly, chests heaving with the frantic effort of drawing in precious air.  
  
"You baka!" Vegeta shouted the moment the two of them appeared in front of him. He was so relieved that his mate was alive that he was alternately yelling and (though he would never admit it later) sobbing. "What the fuck were you thinking?!" He kneeled beside him and grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him roughly as if trying to knock sense back into his head. Nearby, Trunks and Goten were attending to Chelsia, making sure that there was no lasting damage from wherever she'd gone.  
  
"I didn't think-" He cut himself off with another round of coughing.  
  
"That's right -- you didn't!" The small Saiya-jin grabbed hold of Goku once more and held him close. "You could have died, Kakarotto, and your body would have floated out there forever. We don't know where Linaga is -- was --, not really."  
  
Sighing, Goku rubbed soothing circles on Vegeta's back. "Gomen nasai, 'geta. I had no idea that the Naghani had destroyed Linaga like Furiza destroyed Vegeta-sei." He could have slapped himself when he realized how tactless he sounded. Even though he was sure that Chelsia had no idea that there were very few Saiya-jin survivors, the thought of her entire race being pretty-much wiped out was saddening. "Chelsia..."  
  
"It's okay," she whispered brokenly. "Nothing anyone can do about it now, right?" Gently pushing the two boys' hands away, she stood shakily and wandered out of the small home. "I-I need some time to think."  
  
The four of them sat quietly for a long time, contemplating the young woman's fate. "Should we make a few wishes on her behalf?" Goku wondered. "We're not using them, so it wouldn't be a problem, but the Naghani are still out there. We would have to hunt them down and take care of them first before wishing her planet and people back."  
  
His eyes gleaming at the prospect of a battle, Vegeta wholeheartedly agreed with finding the transgressors and even went as far as to start planning the battle. It took his mind off his mate's near-death experience, anyway.  
  
Chelsia returned late into the evening when the four Saiya-jin were watching television in an attempt at diversion. All of them dreaded the moment their guest would return because none of them knew what to say to her. She came in quietly and took a seat in the closest chair to the front door. Until the show was over, no one said a word. Then Goku shut off the tv and sent everyone but Chelsia out of the room.  
  
"We have a plan," he began without preamble, "but we need more information from you in order for it to work." The young woman looked up hopefully, even though she wasn't sure what he was talking about. Goku told her about the dragonballs and Shenron and the great power that the Eternal Dragon possessed. He then told her that they could bring back her planet and her people with little effort. "First, however, I need you to tell me all that you can about the Naghani. We have to stop them from coming after you again if we resurrect your people. Can Vegeta and the boys be present for this, or would you rather it just be me and you?"  
  
"If they are willing to risk their lives for me then I can't, in good conscience, deny them something so minor."  
  
Goku nodded and smiled at her approvingly.  _'You can come back in here now. 'geta, bring Chelsia something to drink.'_  
  
 _'Well, you don't keep any hard liquor in the house...'_  his mental voice was amused.  _'If I was the girl I would want to get drunk off my ass.'_  
  
 _'I was thinking more along the lines of lemonade or iced tea!'_  
  
 _'When you treat me like a servant boy, you get backtalk. It's the way of life, Kakarotto.'_  
  
Goku chuckled and jumped slightly when he noticed that Chelsia's purple eyes were focused on him. "They'll be here in just a sec." She nodded and favored him with a small smile.  
  
"You were thinking about Vegeta, weren't you," she said softly.  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"It must be nice to have someone to put a smile on your face. You look so happy and peaceful -- you both do." Chelsia sighed. "When I chose military service, I did so to get out of an arranged marriage. I figured that if I had more time to think that I would eventually come up with a way to completely separate myself from Grenan honorably. He's not a bad person, but he just doesn't feel right, you know?"  
  
Oh he knew, he knew very well. ChiChi had not been right for him, either, but he'd stayed with her for the sake of his children until he was widowed. Then he felt relieved that he no longer had to endure a charade, but that in turn made him feel guilty. When Vegeta somehow summoned him from hundreds of miles away, it had felt entirely natural to answer the call. And when they'd consummated their new relationship, it had felt as if everything was finally  _right_  after countless years of being _wrong_.  
  
"You can find someone special as well, Chelsia, and the first step is to stop the Naghani so that they don't blow up your planet again after we wish it back." He paused a moment to allow the other three Saiya-jin to get comfortable (and for Chelsia to have a moment to enjoy her beverage) before continuing. "Now, where did the Naghani come from?"  
  
"We don't know. At least,  _I_  don't know. Most of the information concerning them was kept only to the king and his closest advisors. The commoners didn't have much information to go by, only that 'things would be better soon'." She snorted bitterly. "Their definition of 'better' leaves a lot to be desired."  
  
"Tell me about their abilities. How did they attack you? Can they use ki? Can they fly without the aid of a machine?"  
  
Frowning, she said slowly, "They usually attacked on foot in neatly organized squads. They did use ships on occasion, but it was always because our own military were using them first. I don't know what you mean by 'ki' and I've never seen them fly under their own power."  
  
It was highly probable that the Naghani were ki users. The amount of life energy Goku had sensed from them had rivaled Kuririn's, but over the years he'd become adept at sensing when someone was not displaying all of their true power. It was as if ki protested being dampened and beat its metaphorical fists at the invisible wall holding it back. The minute fluctuations in someone's life energy caused by the restrained ki trying to break free could be detected by Goku without much effort.  
  
"How did they usually attack?"  
  
"Laser weapons. Martial arts. By using stealth. They were trained far better than our own forces and were well known for being able to slit the throats of an entire squadron in the night without ever being discovered. We couldn't hope to match them when it came to skill and were outclassed practically from the beginning. But we did try and, when it became apparent that we couldn't defeat them alone, the king sent me and the others for help."  
  
' _Why did they have to go so far? Weren't there any places nearby where they could have gotten help? Or were they isolated like Chikyuu?_ ' Goku wondered. Sometimes he forgot that not all planets were as fortunate as Chikyuu. Not only did it have its own group of powerful defenders, but they could also always obtain help from the spiritual plane if they ever happened to need it. "No nearby allies?"  
  
"None." Chelsia looked embarrassed. "Linaga doesn't have a history of cooperation with other planets." Eyebrows rose at this admission and another piece of the puzzle began to fall into place.  
  
"If the Naghani weren't personal enemies, is it possible that they were the  _allies_  of one of your enemies sent to do their dirty work?"  
  
She flinched. "None of the places around us hated us so much that they wanted to kill everyone! They might not have  _liked_  us, but they didn't wish us dead."  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Vegeta asked. "Did your planet have more power than the rest?" The young woman nodded. "Then, there you go. They were all too afraid to behave hostilely toward you so they masked their true feelings so well that you all thought you were safe. I bet the Naghani were hired by one of your enemies, maybe even a group of them, to take you down a notch."  
  
Chelsia looked as if she didn't want to consider the possibility. It was true that Linaga was aggressive at times (especially when it came to new political agreements), but she never thought that the people she'd trusted not to lead her astray were  _that_  bad. "Perhaps you're right," she whispered. "Perhaps we asked to be murdered so ruthlessly. I don't really know what Linagans do when not on Linaga, but I know it has to be awful for them to hate us so much."  
  
"And maybe not," Goku said after a moment. "We don't really know. All we can do is guess."  
  
"Look," Vegeta said, impatient with the discussion, "we will kill the Naghani for you no matter how powerful they are. No one is stronger than Kakarotto and I, after all. Do you still want us to do this for you now that you've considered another side of the situation?"  
  
"Yes," she said firmly. "No matter what our government has done, or what Linagans on other planets have done, so many people died that didn't deserve it. Most of us had nothing to do with the numerous insults against other planets or with the atrocities that were being committed."  
  
Recognizing the unbreakable determination on Chelsia's face, Goku nodded once in acknowledgement and said, "Then it will be done."  
  


***

  
Trunks continued work on the ship and it was simpler now that he knew that he didn't have to somehow do the impossible and create an engine more powerful than any before. Well, it really  _was_  possible -- the Linagans had done it, after all -- but Chikyuu-jin just didn't have enough knowledge to follow suit as of yet.  
  
If his mother hadn't still been so angry at his father and Goku, things would have gone a lot faster. It was true that he was good at engineering, but his mother was better. But Buruma, no matter how good she was at science and at running an international business, had a lot of glaring faults and bigotry was just one of them. She was also unabashedly conceited and overbearing, the type of person who had to control everything and everybody to be happy. Trunks grew up with her constantly telling him that he was wrong whenever he tried to do things his own way and, without his father around to counter, he would have easily started to despise his mother and what she'd tried to mold him into. As it was, he didn't think she would willingly spend time in the same room with him when he told her the secret he'd been hiding from her for years. It would hopefully stop her from bringing up the single daughters of her business associates, empty-headed and/or gold-digging young women who wanted nothing more than to form a parasitic relationship with him that would probably leave him poor and destitute upon his death.  
  
Unfortunately, he had a feeling that it would be the exact opposite. He would tell her that he was gay and she would try even harder to force him to marry, studiously ignoring the fact that he'd never been able to get aroused enough around a girl to have sex with her. Wouldn't his friends from college be surprised if they discovered that he'd never gone beyond "second base" with any of his so-called girlfriends.  
  
But none of that was really important at the moment. He had a job to do and had to make sure that it was done as well as possible to prevent a horrific untimely demise in the form of a fiery explosion.  
  
"Ano, Trunks?"  
  
The lavender-haired young man blinked and looked over his shoulder. "Hmm?"  
  
"I can hear your stomach complaining. Maybe you should take a break and get something to eat?"  
  
Tired blue eyes scanned the data displayed on the monitor. "But I'm almost finished, I think. At least, I'm almost finished with  _this_  part..."  
  
Goten grabbed him gently by the shoulders and forced him to stand. "I think I should have phrased it as an order instead of a request."  
  
"Yes sir, Go-chan sir!" He mock saluted and Goten hit him playfully on the head.  
  
Buruma was still at the office, but Pan and Bura were in the house, apparently watching television by the sounds filtering down the hall. Pan made a comment about something silly, Bura responded in kind, and a third voice laughed. The presence of Chelsia in the Capsule Corporation was surprising to Trunks, but he assumed that she'd come with Goten. There really wasn't anything to do back at the Son house except for watch horrible local television or listen to the two resident full-blooded Saiya-jin have sex. Trunks suppressed a disturbed shudder at the thought. Thinking of that was enough to give him nightmares.  
  
"Something wrong, Trunks?"  
  
"I'm okay. My brain just decided to give me images of Papa and Goku-san screwing, that's all."  
  
Goten made a disagreeable face. "Thanks a lot for sharing!"  
  
"No problem." They entered the kitchen where they proceeded to ransack it immediately. "How is Chelsia getting along with the girls?"  
  
"Well, you do know that she's more around our age that their age, right? But it's not too big of a problem. Most of the time Panny and Bura-chan act more adult than we do." He buried his head deep into the large refrigerator to get something from the very back that looked tasty. Trunks stepped back from a nearby cupboard holding two plates and nearly dropped them when he saw the position his friend was in. It was only for a brief moment, but he almost couldn't stop himself from groping Goten's behind.  
  
Coughing nervously, he took several steps backward.  
  
"Oi, Trunks, do you think Buruma-san would mind if I ate this left over pasta salad?"  
  
"I don't know, but you probably shouldn't. She's pissed off enough already."  
  
A disappointed face pouted at him. "But it looks so good!" The kawaii look on Goten's face made Trunks' brain go temporarily off-line. However, it made his manhood do the exact opposite. He tried to casually lower the plates down to cover his groin, but knew he wasn't fast enough. Goten's eyes had flicked down before he was covered and there was a questioning look in his eyes... as well as something else. Trunks was half afraid to know what that "something else" was considering the fact that he'd never seen that look on his friend's face before.  
  
"Go ahead, Go-chan," he said softly, so many meanings hidden in the words. "Be my guest."  
  
Would he understand? Would he take him into his arms and kiss him, something that Trunks had been secretly longing for ever since puberty had kicked in and his hormones started going haywire.  
  
"Arigatou!" Goten said cheerfully and retrieved the plastic container, kicking the door of the fridge shut with his foot. Trunks rolled his eyes and groaned softly. His friend could be such a baka sometimes!  
  
Trunks set the plates down on the table and turned to get the two glasses he'd set down on the counter when a firm body wrapped itself around his own. He froze, blue eyes widening in disbelief. "Goten...?"  
  
"Shh," the young man breathed behind him. "You thought I didn't notice, didn't you?" Trunks nodded. "Do you know how many nights you've caused me to wake up to sticky sheets?"  
  
He gasped and choked slightly when Goten lifted him up from the floor and began to kiss his neck. Trunks knew that, usually, he would have felt like a small child cocooned in Goten's arms, but instead it made him feel safe and loved. "You're all I can think about most of the time, Trunks. I have dreams about you and I living together, about the two of us having a family."  
  
His heart wanted to give up happily to Goten's confession of love, but brain forced him to consider the entire situation before making a decision. "Chibi, do you know what you're saying? We haven't even dated and you're already planning our lives out!"  
  
Goten's response was to suck tenderly at his neck, then hard enough to live a sizeable hickey. "I know you can feel it, too. I know we're like Tousan and Vegeta-san."  
  
"Okay," he breathed as the young man behind him slowly began to grind himself against his leg. One by one, all thought processes were shutting down to the point that nothing mattered beyond the press of Goten against him and the feel of his lips on his skin.  
  
"Niichan!" Bura called from the living room. "Are you nearby? Can you bring us more snacks?" And the mood was completely broken.  
  
"Later," Goten promised, separating from the lavender-haired demi-Saiya-jin with one final kiss. He then pulled the lid off the pasta salad container, grabbed a fork, and went to town. Trunks rolled his eyes before grabbing a large bowl and a bag of potato chips to serve the girls. ' _Has to be a Son thing,_ ' Trunks thought, ' _to be able to switch to something else so fast._ '  
  
But as he went out the door, he glanced at Goten from the corner of his eye, and was both startled as well as pleased to notice that his friend's mind wasn't as far away from sex as he'd thought.


End file.
